Chayna Drapeau, et al. v. Bluestem Brands, Inc., et al.

2025 DNH 052
District Court, D. New Hampshire·Decided April 14, 2025·No. 22-cv-00150-PB·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

U N I T E D S T AT E S D I S T R I C T C O U R T F O R T H E D I S T R I C T O F N E W H AM P S H I R E

C h a y n a D r a p e a u , e t a l.

v. Ca se No. 22-cv-00150-P B Opin ion No. 2025 DNH 052 B lu e s t e m B r a n d s , I n c ., e t a l.

ME MO R AN D U M AN D O R D E R Ch a yn a Dr a pea u a n d h er eigh t -yea r -old son Ben wer e sever ely bu r n ed wh en t h e lid of a pr essu r e cooker Dr a pea u wa s u sin g exploded. Dr a pea u a n d h er h u sba n d, Vin cen t , h a ve su ed sever a l dom est ic a n d in t er n a t ion a l en t it ies in volved in t h e design , m a n u fa ct u r e, t est in g, a n d m a r ket in g of t h e pr essu r e cooker . Th e Dr a pea u s a sser t a va r iet y of cla im s, on ly t wo of wh ich a r e a t issu e h er e: n egligen ce a n d viola t ion of t h e New H a m psh ir e Con su m er P r ot ect ion Act (CP A). Defen da n t In t er t ek Test in g Ser vices NA, In c. (ITS) m oves t o dism iss t h ose cla im s pu r su a n t t o F eder a l Ru le of Civil P r ocedu r e 12(b)(6). F or t h e r ea son s set for t h below, I gr a n t t h e m ot ion in pa r t a n d den y it in pa r t .

I . B AC K G R O U N D

A. T h e Alle g e d Ma lfu n c t io n On F ebr u a r y 14, 2020, Ch a yn a Dr a pea u pu r ch a sed a Ch ef’s Ma r k P r efer r ed Qu a lit y 10-Qu a r t E lect r ic P r essu r e Cooker (“t h e pr essu r e cooker ”)

fr om Blu est em ’s F in ger h u t Ca t a log. Doc. 73 a t 13. Th e pr odu ct wa s sen t t o h er h om e in Som er swor t h , N ew H a m psh ir e, on F ebr u a r y 17, 2020. Id.

On Au gu st 22, 2021, wh ile pr epa r in g a st ew wit h h er son , Dr a pea u locked t h e pr essu r e cooker ’s lid a n d bega n t h e cookin g pr ocess. Id. a t 14. Aft er h ea r in g t h e r elea se va lve a ct iva t e, sh e t u r n ed t h e oper a t in g va lve t o t h e st ea m r elea se posit ion . Id. Wh en sh e a t t em pt ed t o u n lock t h e lid sever a l m in u t es la t er , t h e fa st en in g m ech a n ism disen ga ged, a n d t h e cover open ed befor e t h e pr essu r e h a d fu lly r elea sed. Id. a t 15. Th e su dden r elea se of pr essu r e ca u sed t h e lid t o det a ch explosively, pr opellin g sca ldin g liqu id on t o Dr a pea u a n d h er son , wh o wa s st a n din g n ea r by. Id. Bot h su ffer ed sever e bu r n s, in clu din g in ju r ies t o t h e ch ild’s fa ce a n d ch est . Id. a t 15-16. B. Th e P r essu r e Cook er Th e pr essu r e cooker wa s sold in t h e Un it ed St a t es by Blu est em Br a n ds, In c., a Dela wa r e cor por a t ion wit h it s pr in cipa l pla ce of bu sin ess in Min n esot a . 1 Id. a t 2. Blu est em con t r a ct ed wit h LF Cen t en n ia l P t e., a H on g Kon g-ba sed en t it y doin g bu sin ess a s “Li a n d F u n g,” t o ser ve a s it s in t er n a t ion a l bu yin g a gen t . Id. a t 8. Blu est em a n d Li a n d F u n g ou t sou r ced

1 Blu est em Br a n ds, In c. filed for ba n kr u pt cy in 2020 a n d n egot ia t ed a sa le of su bst a n t ia lly a ll it s a sset s t o BLST Oper a t in g Com pa n y, LLC. F or cla r it y’s sa ke a n d beca u se t h e pa r t ies r efer t o t h is en t it y a s “Blu est em ” in t h eir br iefs, I do so h er e.

t h e t est in g, in spect ion , a n d cer t ifica t ion of t h e pr essu r e cooker t o a gr ou p of r ela t ed en t it ies, in clu din g ITS, wh ich n ow m oves t o dism iss. C. P r o c e d u r a l H is t o r y P la in t iffs a sser t five cla im s a ga in st ITS: (1) st r ict pr odu ct lia bilit y, (2) n egligen ce, (3) br ea ch of expr ess wa r r a n t y, (4) br ea ch of im plied wa r r a n t y, a n d (5) viola t ion of t h e CP A. See id. a t 19-33. Vin cen t Dr a pea u a lso br in gs a der iva t ive cla im for loss of con sor t iu m . Id. a t 33. ITS m oved t o dism iss a ll of t h e cla im s a ga in st it on Sept em ber 4, 2024. See Doc. 77-1. In t h eir object ion t o ITS’s m ot ion , pla in t iffs con cede t h a t dism issa l is a ppr opr ia t e for t h e st r ict lia bilit y a n d wa r r a n t y cla im s. See Doc. 79-1 a t 2. Accor din gly, I dism iss t h ose cla im s wit h ou t fu r t h er a n a lysis a n d t u r n t o ITS’s a r gu m en t t h a t t h e n egligen ce a n d CP A cla im s sh ou ld a lso be dism issed.

I I . S T AN D AR D O F R E VI E W To su r vive a m ot ion t o dism iss for fa ilu r e t o st a t e a cla im , a pla in t iff m u st a llege fa ct s su fficien t t o “st a t e a cla im t o r elief t h a t is pla u sible on it s fa ce.” Ash cr oft v. Iqba l, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (qu ot in g Bell At l. Cor p. v. Twom bly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). A cla im is fa cia lly pla u sible if it plea ds “fa ct u a l con t en t t h a t a llows t h e cou r t t o dr a w t h e r ea son a ble in fer en ce t h a t t h e defen da n t is lia ble for t h e m iscon du ct a lleged.” Id.

In t est in g a com pla in t ’s su fficien cy, I em ploy a t wo-st ep a ppr oa ch . See Oca sio-H er n a n dez v. F or t u n o-Bu r set , 640 F .3d 1, 12 (1st Cir . 2011). F ir st , I scr een t h e com pla in t for st a t em en t s t h a t “m er ely offer lega l con clu sion s cou ch ed a s fa ct or t h r ea dba r e r ecit a ls of t h e elem en t s of a ca u se of a ct ion .” Id. (clea n ed u p). A cla im con sist in g of lit t le m or e t h a n “a llega t ion s t h a t m er ely pa r r ot t h e elem en t s of t h e ca u se of a ct ion ” m a y be dism issed. Id. Secon d, I cr edit a s t r u e a ll of t h e pla in t iff’s n on -con clu sor y fa ct u a l a llega t ion s a n d t h e r ea son a ble in fer en ces dr a wn fr om t h ose a llega t ion s, a n d t h en det er m in e if t h e cla im is pla u sible. Id. Th e pla u sibilit y r equ ir em en t “sim ply ca lls for en ou gh fa ct t o r a ise a r ea son a ble expect a t ion t h a t discover y will r evea l eviden ce” of illega l con du ct . Twom bly, 550 U.S. a t 556. Th e “m a ke-or -br ea k st a n da r d” is t h a t t h ose a llega t ion s a n d in fer en ces, “t a ken a s t r u e, m u st st a t e a pla u sible, n ot a m er ely con ceiva ble, ca se for r elief.” Sepu lveda -Villa r in i v. Dep’t of E du c. of P .R., 628 F .3d 25, 29 (1st Cir . 2010).

I I I . AN AL YS I S

A. N e g lig e n c e C la im P la in t iffs do n ot con t en d t h a t ITS wa s dir ect ly in volved in design in g, m a n u fa ct u r in g, dist r ibu t in g, or sellin g t h e pr essu r e cook er . In st ea d, t h eir cla im s a ga in st ITS a r ise fr om it s a lleged r ole in in spect in g, t est in g, a n d cer t ifyin g t h e pr essu r e cooker . Beca u se pla in t iffs a r gu e t h a t ITS is lia ble in

n egligen ce for ser vices it per for m ed for t h e ot h er defen da n t s, ITS’s du t y of ca r e t o t h e pla in t iffs is gover n ed by § 324A of t h e Secon d Rest a t em en t of Tor t s, wh ich pr ovides t h a t :

On e wh o u n der t a kes, gr a t u it ou sly or for con sider a t ion , t o r en der ser vices t o a n ot h er wh ich h e sh ou ld r ecogn ize a s n ecessa r y for t h e pr ot ect ion of a t h ir d per son or h is t h in gs, is su bject t o lia bilit y t o t h e t h ir d per son for ph ysica l h a r m r esu lt in g fr om h is fa ilu r e t o exer cise r ea son a ble ca r e t o pr ot ect h is u n der t a kin g, if

(a ) h is fa ilu r e t o exer cise r ea son a ble ca r e in cr ea ses t h e r isk of su ch h a r m , or

(b) h e h a s u n der t a ken t o per for m a du t y owed by t h e ot h er t o a t h ir d per son , or

(c) t h e h a r m is su ffer ed beca u se of r elia n ce of t h e ot h er or t h e t h ir d per son u pon t h e u n der t a kin g.

Rest a t em en t (Secon d) of Tor t s § 324A (Am . L. In st . 1965); see Bloom v. Ca sella Con st r ., In c., 172 N.H . 625, 630-31 (2019) (a pplyin g § 324A t o n egligen ce cla im ); see a lso Am . L. P r od. Lia b. 3d § 5:38 (“Lia bilit y for n egligen t ly in spect in g, t est in g a n d a ppr ovin g t h e design of a pr odu ct m a y be im posed u n der t h e Rest a t em en t Secon d, Tor t s § 324A.”).

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Chayna Drapeau, et al. v. Bluestem Brands, Inc., et al., 2025 DNH 052 (D.N.H. 2025).

2025 DNH 052 (Chayna Drapeau, et al. v. Bluestem Brands, Inc., et al.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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