In Whirlpool Corp. v. Camacho, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Camachos’ expert witness evidence was legally insufficient to support the jury’s verdict. The court reversed the jury’s $14 million verdict and rendered judgment that the Camachos taking nothing.
The Camachos bought a used electric Whirlpool Easy Clean clothes dryer and installed it in their trailer home. One night, Margarita Camacho smelled smoke and looked down her hallway saw “fire coming from the rear part of the dryer and from inside the dryer.” The fire destroyed the trailer and killed her son, Joab, who was trapped in his bedroom.
At trial, the Camachos presented an expert who testified that the corrugated design of the dryer’s lint transport was defectively designed. He opined that the corrugated tube allowed lint to hang up on the inside of the tube and clog it. The clogging caused lint to back up to the heating element, become inflamed, and then flow into the dryer tumbler. Whirlpool contested every inch of testimony, but the jury found in favor of the Camachos and awarded them $14 million.
