A fire inside a residential home in New York was caused by a pellet stove that was improperly installed in the home some 20+ years before the fire. The original installer could not be identified but Stutman Law’s attorneys obtained a 65% recovery against the contractor who made repairs to the stove several months before the fire. The contractor filed a motion to dismiss and argued that the repairs made to the stove were minimal; therefore, it had no duty to inspect for and uncover all possible problems/defects. Stutman Law deposed the contractor’s employees and established that they actually looked at the defective area of the stove and should have known that it was an obvious hazard. While the motion for summary judgment was pending, the contractor settled for six figures.