New York, New York—September 29, 2011— Chaffin Luhana LLP, a national plaintiffs-only law firm, is pleased to announce the selection of partner Eric Chaffin as one of the prestigious New York Metro Super Lawyers of 2011. This is the second year in a row that Mr. Chaffin has received this honor, which names him as one of the top five percent of lawyers in the state. Partner Roopal Luhana was also named as a Super Lawyers Rising Star, an honor reserved to no more than two-and-a-half percent of lawyers in New York.
Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas. The organization uses a multi-phase rating process involving independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations to choose those attorneys who are best able to represent individuals. After examining the Super Lawyer selection process, the New Jersey Supreme Court reported that the “procedures are very sophisticated, comprehensive and complex.”
The Super Lawyers research staff looks for attorneys who have attained certain honors, then evaluates them on professional achievements such as verdicts and settlements, experience, special licenses and certifications, pro bono and community service, scholarly lectures and writing, representative clients, and more. The selection process for the Rising Stars is similar, though restricted to those candidates younger than 40 years old who have been in practice for 10 years or less. The final list of both Super Lawyers and Rising Stars is printed in the Super Lawyers magazine and in leading city and regional magazines across the country as a guide for those individuals seeking quality representation.
Chaffin Luhana LLP has a long and successful history of protecting the rights of those affected by the serious side effects of pharmaceutical drugs and medical products. The firm has experienced substantial growth in 2011, with partners Eric Chaffin and Roopal Luhana representing high-profile cases in federal and state courts across the country, and launching new online resource centers for clients and the public. To date, Mr. Chaffin and Ms. Luhana along with co-counsel have been involved in recovering over $900 million for injured consumers. The firm has a distinguished track record of success and is highly committed to each case.
New York, New York (August 11, 2011) – Chaffin Luhana LLP filed a lawsuit today on behalf of Illinois citizens after a seven-year-old boy suffered from second- and third-degree burns on his face, neck, and upper body when BirdBrain gel fuel poured into a BirdBrain firepot exploded, igniting the boy’s body as well as his father’s, when his father smothered the flames on his son with his own body.
The action alleges negligence and strict product liability under Illinois law against firepot and gel fuel manufacturer BirdBrain Inc., retailer Ace Hardware Corporation, and Bishop Hardware & Supply, Inc., which owns and operates the Ace Hardware location that sold the defective goods to the parents of the seven-year-old boy.
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) has received reports of nearly 60 injuries and two wrongful deaths related to gel fuel and the firepots used to hold the fuel, including numerous injuries from the use of the BirdBrain firepots and gel fuel at issue in the case Chaffin Luhana filed.
BirdBrain’s competitor, Napa Home & Garden, has already recalled its gel fuel. On August 10, 2011, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan held a press conference calling on the CPSC to recall all gel fuel products because they are so inherently dangerous. Chaffin Luhana joins Attorney General Madigan in the call for a recall of all firepots and gel fuel, including the BirdBrain firepot and gel fuel that injured its clients.
Said Chaffin Luhana Partner Eric T. Chaffin, “This product was supposed to enhance the ambiance in one’s backyard; instead, it sent our clients and dozens of others to the hospital with second- and third-degree burns. These victims suffered traumatic, sometimes life-threatening and certainly disfiguring injuries. When victims like our seven-year-old client are being so badly burned, regulators have to take action.”
Chaffin Luhana LLP is a plaintiffs-only law firm with a national trial practice focused on representing plaintiffs in mass tort, securities and whistleblower cases in federal and state courts across the country. The founding partners, trial lawyers Eric Chaffin and Roopal Luhana, have an established record of integrity, success and leadership in the national plaintiffs’ bar. Partner Eric Chaffin has been named by Super Lawyers to be among the top lawyers in New York State, and has also been selected for membership to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, limited to the fewer than 1% of attorneys nationwide who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. More information about Chaffin Luhana is available at www.chaffinluhana.com, and more information about firepot lawsuits can be found at http://www.explodingfirepot.com.