For referring counsel: The Shinedling press coverage and appellate record document a $58.65M defective-heater verdict that survived appeal. Both are useful when you evaluate or pitch a product case.
Refer or co-counsel: (323) 658-8077 · [email protected]
Overview. The Shinedling press coverage centers on the Los Angeles Daily Journal cover story reporting the verdict, and the appellate history culminates in the Ninth Circuit’s affirmance. Together they confirm both the result and that it held up on review, and this Shinedling press coverage summary collects both for quick reference.
The Daily Journal report
On June 23, 2015, the Los Angeles Daily Journal ran a cover story on the verdict by staff writer Deirdre Newman. The article reported that a federal jury in the Central District of California returned one of the largest single-plaintiff awards in the district that year, in favor of Kenneth Shinedling after his wife Amy died in a house fire started by a Sunbeam-made radiant quartz heater. Judge Cormac J. Carney presided. The article quoted lead counsel Arash Homampour describing his trial strategy of using the heater and its packaging to cross-examine Sunbeam’s safety and project engineers, who admitted the safety feature might not stop a fire and that consumers were never told. The reprinted article is available as a PDF.
The verdict of record
The court’s special verdict and judgment fixed the numbers used throughout this cluster: a gross verdict of $58,650,000, a net judgment of approximately $46,920,000 after a 20% comparative-fault apportionment, entered in 2015. Those figures, not the early press estimates, are the verified record.
The Ninth Circuit affirmance
The defense appealed. The Ninth Circuit affirmed in Shinedling v. Sunbeam Products, Inc., 692 Fed. Appx. 902 (9th Cir. 2017), upholding the wrongful-death portion of the judgment. The decision is unpublished and nonprecedential under Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3, so it should be cited as case history and affirmance rather than as binding product-liability authority. The mandate is available as a PDF.
How to use the coverage
The Shinedling press coverage and the appellate record are evidence that the result was real and durable. Pair them with the parallel-theories analysis when you evaluate a new defective-product matter or discuss co-counsel.
Refer or co-counsel
The firm accepts defective-product referrals across California and pays a referral fee consistent with California Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5.1, with a written fee-division agreement and the client’s written consent.
The Homampour Law Firm, PC · 15303 Ventura Blvd, Suite 1450, Sherman Oaks, CA 91436
Refer or co-counsel: (323) 658-8077 · [email protected] · homampour.com
Frequently asked questions
What did the Daily Journal report about Shinedling?
The June 23, 2015 cover story reported a federal jury verdict for Kenneth Shinedling after his wife died in a fire started by a Sunbeam radiant quartz heater, and quoted counsel on the engineers’ admissions that the safety feature might fail and that consumers were never told.
What is the verified verdict amount?
The court record shows a gross verdict of $58,650,000 and a net judgment of approximately $46,920,000 after a 20% comparative-fault apportionment. Early press estimates rounded the figure upward.
Did the verdict survive appeal?
Yes. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the wrongful-death portion in 2017 in an unpublished, nonprecedential decision, 692 Fed. Appx. 902.
Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Every case is different. This page is attorney advertising and general information, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship.