9 Year Old Boy Severely Burned by a Coleman Heater

An Appeals Court in California will soon decide whether key documents will be released in a case involving a child who was severely burned by an allegedly defective Coleman heater.  The lawsuit alleges that the company knew the propane heater was faulty because it had received previous complaints and warranty claims about fires. The child's lawyers at Bisnar Chase claim that  “In spite of this knowledge, Coleman still manufactured and sold the propane heater, putting profits ahead of people.”  The lawyers have asked for these documents because they may show that Coleman knowingly  violated a California statute.  According to John Bisnar, "This appears to be a case of a manufacturer using a faulty design, sub-par critical parts and inadequate quality control leading to the catastrophic injury [of the child]." 
This case illustrates the difficulties that plaintiffs' lawyers face when pursuing a major corporation.  Although the trial judge ruled that the documents should be turned over to the plaintiffs, Coleman appealed that ruling and has not turned over the documents, even though the trial is to begin in June.