Supreme Court trumps couple's product liability claim

A Connecticut couple has missed out on a six-figure product liability claim after the state Supreme Court ruled against them.

The Supreme Court overturned a prior Superior Court judgement which would have seen them $750,000 richer.

The product liability case was brought against Deere and Company, makers of a ride-on lawn mower which the couple claimed caused extensive fire damage to their home in Cheshire, Connecticut.

They allege a fault in the mower's electrical system was responsible for the blaze in July 2003.

Early hearings went in the couple's favour and their compensation claim won the support of a Superior Court jury.

However, in a 25-page ruling the state's highest court reversed the previous verdict, denying them a product liability settlement worth three quarters of a million dollars.