Page 15 - nov-dec2018

place on October 12, 2016 and pane tanks have threads on the allegations as to Weber’s design
experts examined the propane interior area of the metal valve which they asserted allowed
tank that fueled the grill in detail outlets for connections to such issues to develop over time with
Weber’s expert “measured the things as grills, and that using the grill and tank connection
tank threads to see if there was interior threads protects against eventually leading to a leak at
actually interference between gas leaking at the connection the regulator assembly and tank
the regulator’s thread diameters Plaintiffs then alleged Weber valve connection which in turn
and the tank threads, since this “abandoned this safety system” led to and caused the fire and
was the basis of Plaintiffs’ new and instead used a plastic nut explosion at issue Plaintiffs also
theory ” Experts also conducted over “coarse exterior threads of alleged a safety function feature
a leak test which showed a “sus- the tank valve outlet” (emphasis involving the plastic nut did not
tained leak related to a defect added) which did not provide operate as intended on the day
in the rubber seal in the propane the same protection from leaks of the incident
tank ” After the third inspection, Plaintiffs also asserted exterior As noted above, Weber
Weber filed a motion with the threads are mechanical threads, filed a motion requesting leave
court requesting leave to file a and are not intended to provide to file a third-party complaint
third-party complaint against a gas seal Plaintiffs made a
Manchester and AmeriGas number of other highly technical ...Continued on page 14

The Lawsuit.
On August 26, 2016, Jose
Cruz and his wife, Lucia, brought
a negligence-based lawsuit
against Weber alleging a design
and/or manufacturing defect in
the propane gas grill caused the Your SINGLE SOURCE for
fire and explosion which injured
Jose Cruz As noted above, after
two inspections of the grill, plain-
tiffs filed an Amended Complaint
against Weber only and later
filed a Second Amended Com-
plaint
Plaintiffs asserted in the
Second Amended Complaint
the same propane tank had and many, many more!
been attached to the grill on Stop in and see us!
numerous occasions without any
incident and Weber designed
the grill such that the propane 1405 Sinnett Avenue • Dothan, Alabama 36303
tank was intended to be placed 800-433-8925
and used, in an enclosed cabi-
net under the grilling area Plain-
tiffs also stated standard pro-

15 Alabama Propane Gas Association | November / December 2018