State Farm sparks lawsuit against space heater manufacturer over house fire

An insurance company is suing the manufacturer of a space heater it claims caused a fire in the home of one of its insured.

State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., as subrogee of Alfred Halley, filed a lawsuit May 10 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Lasko Products Inc., citing property damage.

According to the complaint, a fire broke out in Halley's West 87th Street apartment in Chicago on May 27, 2011. State Farm alleges the fire was started by a Lasko ceramic space heater when the power cord failed.

The insurance company contends it paid more than $48,000 to Halley for fire-related damages and is suing Lasko for that amount, as well as attorney's fees.

State Farm is being represented by attorney Lynn K. Weaver of Grotefeld Hoffmann.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L005066.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.