On May 17, 7:29 am, "Stuart A. Bronstein" <spamt...@lexregia.com> wrote:
> Jeff Wisnia <jwis...@conversent.net> wrote:
> > In 2003 a New York woman named Lorraine Squicciarini burned to
> > death after foolishly disregarding the "Do not puncture or
> > incinerate" warning on a can of Aquanet hairspray. She attacked it
> > with a can opener and the can's contents, when suddenly released,
> > were ignited by a nearby gas stove.
>
> > In 2005 there were news reports that her daughters' were suing the
> > manufacturer, Unilever, in a Brooklyn court for the loss of their
> > mother, pain and suffering, etc.
>
> I could find no reported cases, and nothing in the New York Times
> archives.
Nothing like a challenge, Stu.
After Googling for webhits on the victim's name, I discover The New York Post apparently _did_ report on the suit, in their December 24, 2005 edition in a story by Nick DeVito and Don Singleton headlined, "Kin Sue In Hair Spray Fire Death."
According to the story, Ms. Sq. was applying her daily regimen of Aqua Net when the nozzle clogged. Don't ask me why, but again according to the story, which allegedly quotes the Complaint filed in the case, "With the can opener, [Ms. Sq.] opened a hole in the BOTTOM of the Aquanet can in an attempt to clear the nozzle." (emphasis added)
The NY Post article also quotes Ms. Sq.'s attorney, one David Schoen. A search of the NY State Bar Assn. Attorney Directory reveals there are 3 David Schoens registered as lawyers admitted to practice in NY; one has his own practice in Huntington, NY, another works for the Court system in Mineola, NY, and the third is in Montgomery, AL. Would a Brooklyn family go out to Huntington, in Suffolk County, Long Island to find a lawyer? Maybe the lady's adult kids live there. And maybe Stu didn't find a case reference because it would have been filed in the name of the decedent's children, who if they were married women (or these days, even if not) might have had a different last name from their Mom. The manufacturer, Unilever, may also not be the first named defendant; maybe they also sued the drugstore where Mom bought the can (as is often done, partly to bring in a local defendant and destroy diversity of citizenship between all plaintiffs and all defendants, in order to prevent the defendants from removing the case to Federal court where plaintiffs chose to sue in State court, to get a better jury pool or whatever).
Maybe someone can take that ball and run with it to find out more about the status of the case. I've done enough for one night.
--
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