Sheila Hackert
“I just trusted it would work.”

The ionization detector
had a working battery

BRK lost the case.  In overturning the appeal, US Federal Court Judges stated:
(from the Summary Order document below - emphasis added):

“Our review of the record reveals sufficient evidence to support the jury’s determinations

1. 1.that the smoke detector was defectively designed under New York law,
   

2. 2.that Defendants-Appellants were negligent with respect to the smoke detector,
   

3. 3.that the smoke detector’s failure was a legal cause of the deaths of William and Christine Hackert; and
   

4. 4.that an award of punitive damages was appropriate.”

The following documents detail 355 written complaints about First Alert/BRK’s
ionization smoke alarms failing to activate in a timely manner in real-world fires:

“Every single family in America, if they have
a smoke detector in their house, they’re affected
by this. The proof showed that sometimes the
ionization detectors would’t even go off at all,
and yet they continue to manufacture them,
continue to sell them, continue to stand by them.”

Jim Hacker, Hacker & Murphy LLP
during ‘Deadly Delay’ investigation

Excerpts from ‘Deadly Delay’ Investigation:

Jim Hacker, Hacker & Murphy LLP, in an
interview for the ‘Deadly Delay’ TV Series

More > > >

“What makes Hackert so angry is she
says the smoke detector right
outside her bedroom never went off
even though the house was full of
smoke and fire.”

excerpt from interview for the
‘Deadly Delay’ TV Series

(c) Copyright 2010  The World Fire Safety Foundation  |  Last Updated: 17 September, 2010  |  Privacy Policy  | Disclaimer |  Search WFSF site

For errors on, or suggestions for this ‘hackertcase’ webpage, contact the WFSF WebMaster  |  Supporters  |  About  |  Media