Lawsuit claims recalled Electrolux dehumidifier caused $1M church fire

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Electrolux dehumidifier church fire overview:

• Who: A church’s insurance company has sued Electrolux.
• Why: The insurer claims the appliance company is responsible for a fire caused by one of its recalled dehumidifiers in the church. 
• Where: The Electrolux dehumidifier church fire was filed in a Pennsylvania federal court.
• What are my options: Consumers looking for dehumidifier alternatives may be interested in products from Acme Tools.

An insurance company has sued Electrolux, claiming the appliance company is responsible for a fire caused by a recalled dehumidifier in a Pennsylvania church. 

Church Mutual Insurance Co. S.I. filed a complaint against Electrolux Home Products Inc. on May 24 in a Pennsylvania federal court, alleging negligence and violation of product liability. 

Church Mutual said it was suing on behalf of Mount Zion Lutheran Church Krumsville in Pennsylvania. 

According to the lawsuit, Church Mutual is seeking to recover more than $1 million it spent to cover damage to the church from an April 2022 fire it alleged was started by a recalled Electrolux dehumidifier.

The fire started in a Frigidaire dehumidifier that was subject to a 2016 recall, the lawsuit states. About 3.5 million units of the product were recalled because of their fire risk, it says. Frigidaire is owned by Electrolux.

Company GD Midea recalled the dehumidifiers after receiving 38 reports of smoke and fire causing about $4.8 million in property damage, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. 

In the recall notice, consumers were encouraged to immediately turn off their recalled dehumidifiers and seek a replacement unit or a partial refund. 

“The recalled dehumidifiers were recalled because the dehumidifiers were overheating, catching fire and posed a serious risk of fire,” Church Mutual said. 

Electrolux was responsible for ensuring the safety of the products, lawsuit states

The church had the recalled dehumidifier thanks to a donation, the lawsuit says.

It said, on or about April 4, 2022, the dehumidifier failed, starting a fire that caused flame, smoke and water damage to the church as well as the church’s contents. 

“The defendant failed to design the dehumidifier so that foreseeable failures of the dehumidifier and its components would not present a fire hazard,” Church Mutual said. “The defendant negligently designed and manufactured the dehumidifier.”

As a result, Electrolux is liable and legally responsible to the plaintiff for damages caused by the fire by virtue of selling and supplying a defective product, the lawsuit states. 

The plaintiff seeks compensation of $1 million plus interest. 

This is not the first time Electrolux’s dehumidifiers have been the target of a lawsuit.

A 2019 class action lawsuit claimed Electrolux Frigidaire dehumidifiers possess a defect that causes them to display an “F0” error message on their control panel, which makes the devices useless.

Were you affected by the dehumidifier recall? Let us know in the comments.

Church Mutual is represented by William N. Clark Jr. of Cozen O’Connor. 

The Church dehumidifier lawsuit is Church Mutual Insurance Co. S.I. v. Electrolux Home Products Inc., Case No. 5:23- cv-01972, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

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