Hallmark Sued In Snow Globe Fire Case

[proud2BlibKansan]

PETOSKEY, Mich. -- An insurance company has filed a lawsuit seeking $1.8 million from Hallmark Cards and another company over a defective snow globe blamed for a fire that destroyed a home in northern Michigan.

The Jumbo Snowman snow globe was recalled in December 2008, weeks after a fire destroyed the Petoskey home of Stephen and Florence Hajek, who own two card stores. Federal regulators at the time said the globe could act as a magnifying glass in the sun and cause a fire.

Auto-Owners Insurance paid $1.8 million after the Hajek home was destroyed. Snow globes and other store inventory were at their home.

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 2 in federal court in Grand Rapids, accuses Hallmark and a Taiwan company of negligence and product liability. It claims "inappropriate materials in the shell and interior fluid" of the globe caused an unsafe medium for sunlight to pass through.

Read more: http://www.kmbc.com/money/29788051/detail.html#ixzz1dy4uSWIK

[rfranklin]

1. The invisible hand of the market works again!

Those people will never buy Hallmark snow globes again.:spank:

[RC]

2. That is the nature of Snow Globes.

Do not put them in the window.

Someone is seeing some deep pockets here.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

3. indeed...

any clear sphere with sufficient refraction could cause this...i have one of those tacky company awards that is a sphere of clear plastic (Lexan or something like that) and when in the sun it can focus a beam about three inches opposite the sun...gets pretty hot. maybe i should see how this comes out and then ... hmmmm...

sP

[DainBramaged]

4. It doesn't end

:eyes:

[tawadi]

5. "They were priced at $100 each"

Who pays that for a Snow Globe?

:shrug:

[ProdigalJunkMail]

6. i think we get a free one from JCPenny each year on Black Friday

but i am sure it's WORTH $100...

sP

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. I once worked in a Hallmark store

You'd be amazed. They sold Christmas ornaments - in JULY - for more than $100.