New Trial Bid Nixed in Microwave Fire Case; Suit Alleged Inadequate Recall by Whirlpool

A new trial is not merited in a suit alleging an improper sealant in a Whirlpool Corp. microwave caused a house fire, a federal district court held July 3, rejecting the homeowner’s argument that the manufacturer clearly should have done more to notify him of the product’s recall (Plyler v. Whirlpool Corp., N.D. Ill., No. 08-C-6637).

Judge Geraldine Soat Brown of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois held that plaintiff Allen Plyler failed to show that a jury’s recent verdict in favor of the manufacturer should be set aside because Whirlpool’s recall efforts were ...