Woman Burned by Hula Skirt, Received $4 Million in Damages

In 2003, a California woman was severely burned when a hula skirt that she was wearing burst into flames and could not be extinguished. Her case was recently heard in a Beverly Hills courtroom. Her lawyer explained that while she attended a luau themed birthday party, the skirt caught on fire from a candle that was placed on the ground. The woman was unable to remove the skirt in time, and she was engulfed in flames within seconds. She was also unable to extinguish the fire with water because of the particular materials with which the skirt was constructed.

The woman sued the company that made the product, and because a court ruled that it was so dangerous, she received $4 million in damages. It was deemed unreasonably defective, because the woman was unable to remove it to protect herself from further injury. This settlement allowed the woman to pay off her medical expenses, recover lost wages from work, regain any attorney or legal fees and provide some compensation for her physical and emotional suffering.