A family of five was seated at a table in a restaurant with a Lazy Susan in the center.
A teapot was placed on the Lazy Susan by a server and one of the children spun it at a sufficient speed that the teapot fell and spilled hot tea over a minor sibling. The tea severely burned her face, upper extremities, torso and legs, requiring several skin graft surgeries. The claim against the insured supplier of the teapot was for defective design and the case settled for $9.9m, of which $3.9m was reinsured on an Excess of Loss basis. The insured became the primary target after the Chinese manufacturer of the teapot couldn’t be located and plaintiffs became aware that an intermediary and the Lazy Susan manufacturer had limited insurance limits.
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