Judge and gavel

PRODUCTS LIABILITY

VOLUSIA CIRCUIT COURT

A jury ruled in favor of Lowe’s Home Center after a customer claimed a metal bristle from a barbecue grill cleaning brush became lodged in her throat.

Amy Pagliaro claimed she purchased a Master Forge Grill Brush from a Lowe’s store in DeLand. She claimed her throat began to hurt during the summer of 2012 after eating a meal that had been cooked on a grill cleaned with the brush. She underwent three surgeries to remove a foreign object from her throat, but they were unsuccessful.

A defense expert testified the object in her throat was made of calcium, not metal. The jury found the grill brush did not have a design defect that was a legal cause of her injury.

Case: Pagliaro v. Lowe’s Home Centers

Case No.: 2014 11210 CIDL

Plaintiffs attorneys: Keith R. Mitnik, T. Michael Morgan and Harris Yegelwel, Morgan & Morgan, Orlando

Defense attorneys: Michael B. Buckley and Adam Haenel, Buckley Law Group, St. Petersburg