A Westlake Village, Calif., wood flooring company must pay a homeowner $28,315 for damages caused by a fire that its subcontractor started, according to Metropolitan News-Enterprise.
A fire investigator testified that the house fire originated inside a garbage can in the home's garage. Conejo Hardwoods & Stone hired Krowpman Flooring and Tile to install wood flooring in the Calabasas, Calif., home. Bryan Robertson, a worker for Krowpman Flooring and Tile, testified in court that he and a co-worker would smoke outside at the job site, and that they would discard their cigarette butts inside a sealed Snapple bottle, which would either be stored in his truck or thrown into the garbage can.
The fire caused $822,483 in damages; however, Conejo was held liable for 55 percent of that figure, or $452,366. The homeowner was held liable for the other 45 percent. Funds paid by the homeowner's insurance company, about $424,050, were subtracted from the total owed by Conejo Hardwoods, leaving a net reward to the homeowner of $28,315.
The court decision was recently appealed, and on Monday a jury upheld the verdict; the subcontractor was determined to be an agent of the hiring firm. The full appeal, including background on the original decision, can be read below.
