Verdict 2014-17: Boston Partner John Knight and Boston Associate Chris Davidson

Boston Partner John Knight and Boston Associate Chris Davidsonobtained a defense verdict after a week-long trial in the Barnstable Superior Court. The case arose out of a fire which caused approximately $700,000.00 in damages after a service technician failed to install a component part to a restaurant fryolator the day before the fire. This resulted in the fryolator overheating and starting a fire after the restaurant was closed. The fryolator had overheated and was smoking earlier in the evening (after it had been serviced) and our client got the fryolator to turn off upon observing this. However, our client inadvertently left the fryolator set at 400 degrees, which allowed it to start back up overnight and eventually overheat again, resulting in the fire. The service company acknowledged responsibility for not properly servicing the unit but argued that the client restaurant was also to blame for failing to have either made sure that the temperature was off or turning the pilot off at the end of the night. The jury returned a finding of no negligence as to the claims against our client.