Home Depot Class Action Says Brinkmann Propane Grill Could Explode

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A Maryland man is suing Home Depot and AmeriGas, claiming their Brinkmann 4221 propane grill has a tendency to explode.

The specific product at issue is Brinkmann Model No. 810-4221-S, marketed as a 2-Burner Propane Gas Grill with Side Burner.

Plaintiff Raheen Robinson says the Brinkmann 4221 grill is defectively designed and manufactured in a way that creates a risk of explosion, putting consumers at an unreasonable risk of bodily harm or death.

The grill’s manufacturer, Dallas-based Outdoor Direct Corporation, is currently seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Delaware bankruptcy court. That action creates an automatic stay against other actions seeking to name Outdoor Direct as a defendant.

For that reason, Robinson says, he does not name Outdoor Direct as a defendant in this products liability class action lawsuit – though he says he has filed a proof of claim in the bankruptcy action raising essentially the same allegations he raises here.

Robinson seeks to hold Home Depot responsible for marketing a dangerously defective product. He also names as a defendant AmeriGas Propane LP, also known as AmeriGas Partners. AmeriGas furnishes many of the propane tanks that the Brinkmann 4221 grills are shipped with, according to Robinson.

Robinson says he was personally injured when his own Brinkmann 4221 grill exploded.

He bought the Brinkmann 4221 grill, equipped with an AmeriGas propane tank, from a Home Depot in Aspen Hill, Md. in May 2015. The whole outfit was assembled by Home Depot and delivered to Robinson at Home Depot’s retail location, he says.

Robinson says he used his Brinkmann 4221 grill on a few occasions without incident. But on one occasion, within just a couple of weeks after purchasing the grill, Robinson says the grill did not appear to be working.

He had lit the burner, put food on the grill, closed the lid and stepped away for a moment. When he next checked the grill, he says it appeared that the fire was no longer burning. Robinson says when he opened the lid, the grill space burst into flame. He says the fire caused second-degree burns on his nose and forehead and first-degree burns on his cheeks and neck.

Robinson is proposing to bring his claims on behalf of a plaintiff Class that would include all persons who bought a Brinkmann 4221 grill or a similar grill from Home Depot.

He seeks a court injunction requiring Home Depot and AmeriGas from continuing to market the purportedly defective Brinkmann 4221 grill. He is also asking for an award of damages for himself and for all putative Class Members to cover the value of the grill, plus damages for himself to cover his own personal injuries.

Robinson is represented by attorneys Raymond C. Fay and Jessica T. Ornsby of Fay Law Group PLLC, and by Erik James Williams of The Law Offices of Erik J. Williams PLLC.

The Home Depot Brinkmann 4221 Grill Class Action Lawsuit is Raheen Robinson v. Home Depot USA, et al., Case No. 8:17-cv-1089, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.