Last week, a
three-judge panel of
the Second Circuit
U.S. Court of
Appeals found
sufficient evidence
to uphold the jury's
findings that First
Alert was negligent
because "the smoke
detector was
defectively
designed," and that
"the smoke
detector's failure
was a legal cause of
the deaths of
William and
Christine Hackert."
The panel also found
that an award of
punitive damages was
appropriate. First
Alert and BRK have
been ordered to pay
Sheila and John
Hackert $2.8 million
in compensatory and
punitive damages.
Bob Segall/NBC WTHR 13 Investigates, Indianapolis. IN
