Carruth v. Pittway Corp.

The plaintiffs, Coy Carruth and others, appeal from summary judgments in these two cases.

These cases involve a fire at the home of Coy Carruth and his wife, Shirley Carruth. The plaintiffs, as the administrators of the estates of seven Carruth family members who perished in the fire, brought wrongful death actions against the manufacturer of the Carruths' smoke detector, Pittway Corporation. The actions were based on the Alabama Extended Manufacturer's Liability Doctrine ("AEMLD"), and on theories of negligent failure to adequately warn.

In the interest of brevity, our discussion will focus on…