BATON ROUGE – The insurer of a Baton Rouge property alleges it paid more than $200,000 for damages caused by a fire that originated behind a soda pop cooler.
Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Co. filed a complaint on June 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana against Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United Inc. and Grayhawk Leasing LLC alleging negligence.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff provided insurance to Hareer Inc., which owned a convenience store in Baton Rouge. The suit states that on June 28, 2016, a fire broke at plaintiff's insured property that originated from behind the defendants' cooler. As a result of the fire, plaintiff became subrogated to the rights of its insured and paid $234,035.46 for the damages, the suit states.
The plaintiff holds Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United Inc. and Grayhawk Leasing LLC responsible because the defendants allegedly used an extension cord to connect the cooler, allowed the cord to become impinged and failed to inspect the cooler.
The plaintiff seeks compensation for the full amount of plaintiff’s damages, plus legal interest and any other relief that the court deems just and proper. He is represented by Douglas R. Holmes of Chaffe McCall LLP in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana case number 3:17-cv-00390