Oxford Presbyterian Church v. Weil-McLain Co., Inc.

OPINION BY

FORD ELLIOTT, J.:

¶ 1 This case had its genesis in May of 1989 when a fire destroyed a 134-year-old church in Chester County, The church settled its claim against its insurer, which then sought to discover the cause of the fire. Upon determining that the fire must have started in the church basement in the wood joists above one of the boilers that supplied the church with heat, the insurer filed subrogation claims in 1991 against every company or individual involved in maintaining or repairing the boilers. By 1996, only two defendants remained: SICO Oil Company (“SICO”) and Thomas W.…