STEPHENSON v. SUNBEAM PRODUCTS, INC. et al, No. 3:2006cv00055 - Document 224 (W.D. Pa. 2008)

Court Description: MEMORANDUM OPINION and ORDER OF COURT granting in part and denying in part 94 Motion to Limit or Exclude Testimony and Opinions of Dr. William T. Cronenwett. GRANTED IN PART as to opinions concerning whether the blanket was conclusively "on&qu ot; at the time of fire, was the cause of the fire, that a bead on PTC wire when viewed in isolation can be determined to be caused from an energizing of the wire or a result of the wire being attacked by fire external to the blanket and as to the te mperature of the fire in question and its ability to melt PTC wiring and finally, that Cronenwett cannot deny the fact that the unknown sequence of events on the evening of the fire included the event that the power cord and blanket cord arced togeth er and that electricity was conveyed into the blanket cord as a resulting of this arcing and melting together of the two cords and DENIED IN PART as to remainder of the motion; granting in part and denying in part 96 Motion to Limit or Exclude Test imony and Opinions of Jacob Andolina. DENIED IN PART as to Andolina's opinions regarding whether the blanket was the source of ignition, "on" at the time of the fire, or the cause of the fire in question and GRANTED IN PART as to opini ons concerning whether the blanket possessed a defect, had malfunctioned or had been misused or abused by the decedent; granting in part and denying in part 98 Motion to Limit or Exclude Testimony and Opinions of Robert G. Stewart. DENIED IN PART a s to Stewart's opinions concerning whether the blanket was the source of ignition, or the cause of the fire in question and GRANTED IN PART as to opinions concerning whether the blanket was "on" at the time of fire, possessed a defect, had malfunctioned or had been misused or abused by the decedent, and as more fully stated in said Memorandum Opinion and Order of Court. Signed by Judge Kim R. Gibson on 9/26/2008. (dlg)