Fiery pants lead to suit

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — A Boardman woman has sued a department store because she said the pants she bought there spontaneously caught on fire.

The woman sued J.C. Penney, saying the pants were defective and “suddenly and without warning burst into flames” while she wore them, causing first-, second- and third-degree burns to her right leg.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, says Pamela Manchester of Applecrest Court bought the blue St. John’s Bay corduroy pants at J.C. Penney’s Southern Park Mall store the day after Thanksgiving last year and they burst into flame on Christmas Day.

Manchester “sustained permanent injuries and pain and suffering” and at least $5,000 in medical expenses because of the store’s negligence, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit, which does not say how the pants caught fire, demands a jury trial and seeks more than $25,000 in compensatory damages, plus interest and attorney fees. St. John’s Bay, which is not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, is a brand that is exclusive to J.C. Penney. The lawsuit did not state the country where the pants were made.

Manchester’s lawyer, John A. McNally III, who filed the lawsuit, declined to comment. Manchester and J.C. Penney officials could not be reached to comment.