More Litigation

COURT CASES CHARGING GRINNELL WITH INSTALLATION OF FAULTY SPRINKLER SYSTEMS CONTINUE TO FLOOD THE COURTS

Fire Protection Comments continues its coverage of the many court suits filed against Grinnell, including at least eleven court suits alleging faulty installation and maintenance of Grinnell’s failing fire protection sprinkler systems. In fourteen instances, customers of Grinnell have sued because their sprinkler system went off or the pipes failed when there was no fire, thus flooding their premises and destroying their offices. Tragically, seven Grinnell customers or damaged parties have sued because the sprinkler system did not go off when there was a fire.

Here are some of the newly discovered cases. A list of the cases that the Fire Protection Comments has previously reported on follows the capsule description of the newly discovered cases.

A GRINNELL SPRINKLER SYSTEM FAILED TO PREVENT A FIRE

DEFECTIVE PIPES AND VALVES, INSPECTIONS AND INSTALLATIONS
Name	Place Filed
Conoco	Western Louisiana
Robert Mosley	Marion County, IN
Landing Homeowners Assoc.	San Diego Cnty, CA
Sepco Industries, Inc.	Marion County, IN
Rothschild	San Diego Cnty, CA
Sandage/Action Fire	San Diego Cnty, CA
Fire Protection Group	Los Angeles Cnty, CA
La Jolla Commercial Assoc.	San Diego Cnty, CA
Adams Wholesale	Cincinatti, OH
SPRINKLERS DID NOT GO OFF, OR FAILED TO PROTECT A FACILITY DURING A FIRE
Westside Deutcher	Cuyahoga Cnty, OH
Long John Silvers	Marion County, IN
Laurel Avenue LP	Southern District, ID
SPRINKLERS WENT OFF FOR NO REASON, OR PIPES BROKE AND FLOODED THE FACILITIES
Hiwan Golf Club	Jefferson Cnty, CO
Monroe Guaranty	Butler County, OH
Fifth Third Bank/
Empire Fire Services	Franklin County, OH
Medi-Flex	El Paso County, CO
A.O. Reed	San Diego, CA
LADD Furniture	Toledo, OH
Mailing Services of Pittsburgh	Allegheny Cnty, PA
F. Michael Autieri/Sports Deli	Allegheny Cnty, PA
Sheraton South Hills	Allegheny Cnty, PA

OHIO CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY V GRINNELL CORPORATION, D.B.A. GRINNELL FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS

On New Year’s Eve 1999, The Laurel Avenue Limited Partners’ warehouse in Hamilton, Ohio caught fire. It shouldn’t have been much of a problem. Grinnell had just revamped the Laurel Avenue fire protection sprinkler system only 13 months earlier.

However, the fire "develop[ed], intensif[ied] and spread... in an uncontrolled manner, resulting in substantial destruction... to the... premises, severe disruption and interruption of Laurel’s ongoing business... and loss[es] of income and profits... and other damages, costs, and expenses." according to the court complaint.

This made Ohio Casualty Insurance unhappy, because they had to pay out $1,629,402 to Laurel for the damages claimed under their insurance policy.

They sued Grinnell, charging gross negligence, recklessness and wanton conduct including:

"Failing to perform the sprinkler conversion work in a proper and workmanlike fashion, failing to ensure that activation of the system would result in a timely discharge of an adequate supply of water... failing to evaluate the adequacy of the water supply... failing to warn Laurel about the deficiencies in Grinnell's work and the deficiencies in the sprinkler system,... failing to implement corrective measures... [and] failing to procure permits, inspections and approvals... as required by... the Ohio Fire Code."

As of March 12, 2002, the case was still pending.

HIWAN GOLF CLUB V GRINNELL FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS, RENAUD EXCAVATING

In 1998, Grinnell installed the fire protection piping system on the interior of the Hiwan Golf Course’s clubhouse in Evergreen, Colorado. According to two court suits, Grinnell’s negligence resulted in water leakage from the piping system that flooded the clubhouse basement with water up to ten inches deep. According to one court complaint:

"The flooding had soaked carpeting throughout the basement, damaged drywall, damaged exercise equipment,... damaged food stuffs, printed materials and other property.... Extensive repairs were conducted by Hiwan resulting in a loss of $120,333.85."

ANOTHER BROKEN PIPE FLOODS A FACILITY

FIDELITY AND GUARANTY INSURANCE UNDERWRITERS INC. V GRINNELL CORPORATION, D.B.A. GRINNELL FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS

On five occasions, Grinnell had inspected the water feeder system for the fire protection sprinklers at the Adam Wholesalers warehouse in Ohio. Just four months after the last inspection, the feeder main for the sprinkler system broke, flooding the business site and causing over $2.7 million in water damage. Adams sued, charging among claims, that Grinnell had not tested and maintained the sprinkler system, that Grinnell failed to notify them that the feeder system violated building codes and that Grinnell had not recommended installation modification to their system that would have prevented the accident.

The "... sprinkler system discharged, drenching [Ladd’s] inventory with water and causing substantial property damage." The damages exceeded $590,000.

ANOTHER SPRINKLER SYSTEM FLOODS A COMPANY

LADD FURNITURE, ACTION AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER V GRINNELL FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS

Ladd Furniture’s warehouse in Swanton, Ohio was equipped with a Grinnell dry pipe sprinkler system. But the warehouse was anything but dry, when the "... sprinkler system discharged, drenching [Ladd’s] inventory with water and causing substantial property damage." The damages exceeded $590,000. Ladd sued, charging that "Although the sprinkler system was equipped with a flow alarm which would have warned of the discharge, the alarm failed to function because a strainer screen near the flow sensor was blocked."

ANOTHER MALFUNCTIONING GRINNELL SPRINKLER DROWNS A BUSINESS

F. MICHAEL AUTIERI/SPORTS DELI V GRINNELL CORPORATION

Michael Autieri owned the Sports Deli at the Freight House Shops at Station Square in Pittsburgh. He had a fire sprinkler system and the sprinkler heads were manufactured by Grinnell. One day, "a sprinkler head malfunctioned within the ... business, which caused substantial amounts of water to fall upon the contents." Autieri suffered $35,664 in damages so he sued Grinnell. His suit charged that Grinnell:

"... manufactur[ed] and [sold] a sprinkler which was defective ... as to cause it to leak substantial amounts of water within [his] business; fail[ed] to properly inspect said sprinkler so as to prevent the leak ... us[ed] defective materials within the sprinkler ... fail[ed] to design the sprinkler ... to prevent it from leaking ... the sprinkler was ... unreasonably dangerous and unsafe... by reason of a defect, which caused the sprinkler to discharge substantial amounts of water on the property of the plaintiff."

SPRINKLER HEADS MANUFACTURED AND MAINTAINED BY GRINNELL FLOOD ANOTHER WAREHOUSE— $106,635 IN DAMAGES

MAILING SERVICES OF PITTSBURGH V GRINNELL FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS, TYCO INTERNATIONAL

"... large quantities of water gushed from the pipes and system into the sales room, causing extensive damage to plaintiff’s building." Damages exceeded $35,019.

Mailing Services of Pittsburgh owned a warehouse in Warrendale, Pennsylvania for storage and for their working facility. The sprinkler heads in their fire protection system were manufactured by Grinnell and their sprinkler system was maintained by Grinnell. When a sprinkler head malfunctioned and "substantial amounts of water" flooded into the warehouse, causing $106,636 in damages, Mailing Services sued Grinnell, alleging:

"The damage ... did result from the negligence of... Tyco International, Ltd. and Grinnell Corporation... in manufacturing and selling a sprinkler that was defective ... as to leak substantial amounts of water ... in failing to properly inspect said sprinkler ... in using defective materials within the sprinkler ... in failing to warn [Mailing Services of Pittsburgh] of the defect in said sprinkler ... in manufacturing and selling a sprinkler which possessed a large area of non-bonding in the center of the soldered joint ... which point failed and caused the leakage to occur. The sprinkler was... unreasonably dangerous and unsafe... by reason of a defect."

A GRINNELL SPRINKLER MALFUNCTIONS AND FLOODS A SHERATON HOTEL

SHERATON SOUTH /SUBURBAN HILLS LODGING CORPORATION V GRINNELL FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS, TYCO INTERNATIONAL, OTHERS

The Sheraton South Hills is a top-shelf hotel on Fort Couch Road in Pittsburgh. But it didn’t look top-shelf after a Grinnell-manufactured sprinkler system broke, when a pipe separated from a fitting, "whereas large quantities of water gushed from the pipes and system into the sales room, causing extensive damage to plaintiff’s building." Damages exceeded $35,019. They sued Grinnell and Tyco. Their complaint stated:

"The subject sprinkler system was defective and unreasonably dangerous as designed, [and]

manufactured... it permitted a pipe and fitting to separate and spew water.... the subject fitting was designed, manufactured and sold without adequate testing or inspection... damages were caused by ... the negligence carelessness and recklessness of [Grinnell]."