BURST
Two Langley homeowners are suing a hot tub company for a fire that caused extensive damage to their home.
The lawsuit, filed in B.C. Supreme Court by Dan Iacovelli and Sherry Lee, alleges a “dangerous defect” in the hot tub and its control mechanism.
It says the hot tub, purchased in 2016, was a Zenith Curve Luxury Class, 56-jet, two-pump model. The lawsuit says it was repaired in 2021, which included replacing the spa pack — the control box that operates a hot tub’s components — along with diverter valves and top side controls.
In May 2023, the lawsuit said, a fire started in the hot tub, allegedly “caused by the failure of some or all of the hot tub components.” The fire spread to the property, which contained two rental suites, and caused extensive damage, it alleged.
“Any or all of the hot tub components were capable of failing, overloading, overheating, short-circuiting and igniting a fire” and any of them could have been a dangerous defect, it said.
The owners suffered damages, losses and expenses, including emergency and permanent repairs to the home, packing, moving, storing, repairing or replacing the home’s contents, additional living expenses, strata special assessments, insurance and strata deductibles, increased insurance premiums, loss of rental income, loss of use of the home and a decrease in the property’s value, according the lawsuit.
The lawsuit names Canadian Coast Spas and its related companies, plus a number of U.S.-based parts manufacturers, which it said were responsible for different parts of the hot tub.
The lawsuit alleges negligence, breach of contract and negligent representation by the companies.
The lawsuit seeks damages, including those under B.C.’s Sale of Goods Act, Canada’s Competition Act and both provincial and federal consumer protection laws.
None of the allegations have been proven in court. Messages left with the lawyer listed on the lawsuit and with Canadian Coast Spas weren’t immediately returned.