Jennifer L. Henn  |  November 10, 2020

Category: Household

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Citronella candle - Repel insect repellent citronella candle

A California man who says a Repel insect repellent candle exploded in his face when he tried to blow it out, has filed a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer.

Mark Aguilar says Spectrum Brands Inc., the maker of the Repel candles, knew or should have known its products were dangerous and should have warned consumers about the risk.

He is seeking monetary damages and a court order to stop Spectrum from selling the Repel Insect Repellent Citronella Candle and to “recall and replace” the candles already on the market.

“The [products] are defectively manufactured, and the resulting defects cause the candles to explode, causing serious injury and burns, and threat of serious damage,” the Aguilar class action lawsuit says. “In short, they cannot be operated in the method which a reasonable consumer would expect a candle to operate.”

Aguilar says he purchased a Repel Insect Repellent Citronella Candle in Bakersfield, Calif., earlier this year. Though he doesn’t specify where he bought it, varieties of Repel Insect Repellent Citronella Candles are sold in most major retail stores nationwide, including Walmart, Target and Home Depot, and on their websites. The candles sell for between $5 and $7 each and are intended to be used outdoors to keep mosquitoes and other pests away.

Citronella oil, derived from citronella plants, is a natural repellent to most bugs.

Citronella candle - Repel insect repellent citronella candleAquilar’s lawyers say he used the candle and then, “when ultimately extinguishing [it] in a way in which a reasonable consumer using a candle would extinguish one, plaintiff’s candle exploded,” the class action lawsuit says.

The exploding candle reportedly shot hot citronella wax at Aguilar, causing him to “suffer burns all over his face as the hot wax and chemicals sprayed all over him.”

In addition to suffering pain from the injury, Aguilar incurred expenses in the form of medical bills for the treatment of his burns, his class action lawsuit says.

Those burns “were a direct result of his injuries caused by defendant’s faulty and flawed products, that were unsafe, and dangerous,” the complaint says.

The lawsuit does not detail Aguilar’s injuries or the costs of his treatment, but does insist that other consumers are at risk of also being injured.

“Because of the faulty safety features, consumers who have purchased the [Repel products] are in possession of a very dangerous candle that can explode and cause injury when extinguished,” the class action lawsuit alleges. “The claims are evidenced by the hundreds (if not thousands) of consumer complaints on the Internet.”

The class action lawsuit does not include any specific examples of complaints posted online about the Repel Insect Repellent Citronella Candle.

Aguilar is seeking to have his lawsuit certified by the court as a class action lawsuit that would be open to any consumer who has purchased a Repel Insect Repellent Citronella Candle anywhere in the U.S. It is unclear how many consumers are eligible to participate in the action, but Aguilar thinks hundreds of thousands could be.

According to the class action lawsuit, Aguilar claims Spectrum Brands Inc. is in breach of implied warranty, is in breach of warranty under the federal consumer Magnuson-Moss Act and has violated California’s unfair competition law. He is demanding a jury trial.

Have you ever purchased a Repel Insect Repellent Citronella Candle? Has it malfunctioned, exploded or been otherwise dangerous? Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Lead plaintiff Mark Aguilar and the proposed Class Members are represented by Todd M. Friedman and Meghan E. George of the Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman P.C.

The Repel Insect Repellent Citronella Candle Class Action Lawsuit is Mark Aguilar, et al. v. Spectrum Brands Inc., et al., Case No. 1:20-cv-01564-DAD-JLT, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

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151 thoughts onRepel Insect Repellent Citronella Candles Explode, Class Action Lawsuit Says

  1. Jennifer Vergara says:

    YES PLEASE ADD ME! THIS CANDLE EXPLODED SENDING PIECES OF GLASS INTO MY FACE

  2. JJ says:

    Yes!!! add me

  3. JJ says:

    Yes add me

  4. sharon devine says:

    Please add me – Shay Devine

  5. Reginald Gaines says:

    Add ne

  6. Arneather Gaines says:

    Add me

  7. Lucia Perez says:

    Please Add me. My daughter received a 2nd and 3rd degree burn from this candle. She is still recovering. She is 19 and had just gotten her first job. Now she is having to postpone her career and possibly her educational plans. I still have the candle and pants she was wearing.

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