$1.25 Million Lawsuit Filed Against Grinnell, Others In Texas

A Texas manufacturing concern has filed a court complaint against Grinnell and others, charging that a Grinnell fire detection and suppression system did not properly protect their business during a fire.

The company, Flexible Foam, suffered over $1,250,000 in damages from the blaze. Their complaint, filed on March 11, 1998, claims that Grinnell was negligent in its design, manufacture, installation, servicing and/or inspection of the fire detection and suppression system. Grinnell's negligent acts include: failure to properly design and locate the fire detection and suppression system, failure to properly warn the uses of the Fire detection/suppression system, and failure to properly adapt the design of the Fire detection system.

The Grinnell Fire detection system was defective and unsafe for its intended purposes; it was designed and marketed in such a manner that it would fail and cause damage to Flexible Foam's property, and therefore was unreasonably dangerous. The system was not fit for the purpose for which it was intended, because it failed during normal use and allowed the fire to occur and allowed severe damages to Flexible Foam's property.

These failures by Grinnell were a breach of the contract with Flexible Foam, the complaint charged. The suit asked that Grinnell repay Flexible Foam's insurance carrier the $1.25 million they had paid in claims, along with court costs and attorney's fees.

This suit is the latest of many court actions filed in recent years against Grinnell, by disgruntled businesses and others, who charge that Grinnell's fire protection systems were improperly installed, maintained, and inspected, and which allowed fires to occur unabated.

Several similar cases are summarized in this issue in the "Courts" section, including two cases where it was alleged that Grinnell's failure to properly install and maintain sprinkler systems contributed to deaths in inadequately suppressed fires. Grinnell was also charged with inadequate installation and maintenance of a fire sprinkler system after the destructive fire at the multi-acre Safeway warehouse complex in Richmond, California.

Fire protection and suppression systems have been a proven technology that have saved thousands of lives and millions of dollars in property over the last century. In Fire Protection's opinion, the evidence suggests that Grinnell is failing to properly design, install, and inspect their systems, which is jeopardizing both the reputation of the Fire Protection industry, and the millions of people who rely on Grinnell's Fire Protection Systems to keep them safe.