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Family files string of suits against landlord By Chris Bristol The family of a 10-year-old Eagle Point boy who died in a house fire last year has filed a string of lawsuits against the landlord, alleging negligence and seeking more than $5.6 million in damages. But the landlord, Cascade Real Estate owner Don Grissom, said he doesn�t understand why he�s being sued. Authorities have said the fire that killed Sean Harrington was caused by an unattended candle. "That�s all that we�ve ever heard" about the cause, Grissom said. "To me, this is something dreamed up by an attorney. But nonetheless, it�s making us run scared." The Harrington family filed five separate lawsuits in Jackson County court � one for Diana Harrington and each of her four children: Melinda, Kendra, Sean and Hannah. The lawsuits do not cite an alternative cause of the fire, which occurred on the night of Jan. 11, 2000, at the two-story home the family was renting off Butte Falls Highway. Instead, Grissom and his late partner, Phil Deupree, are accused of renting out a house that had inadequate heating and was not safe from fire hazards. Named as a co-defendant is B & B Property Management, which handled the rental for the owners. "The landlord did not at all times ... maintain the home in a habitable condition," the lawsuit says. The family seeks $1 million in damages for Sean�s death and $2.2 million each in medical costs and pain and suffering for Diana Harrington and her youngest daughter, then 3-year-old Hannah, both of whom were seriously burned. In addition, the family seeks more than $100,000 each in pain-and-suffering damages for Sean�s older sisters, Melinda, 16, and Kendra, 12. They were home on the night of the fire but escaped serious injury. Steve Cook, an uncle of the Harrington children, is listed as the personal representative of Sean�s estate. An affidavit approving the arrangement was signed by the boy�s father, Ken, who lives in Klamath Falls. Grissom said the two-story house, built in 1964, had a wood stove and heater and was in good condition. He also said the fire marshal�s report noted the smoke alarms were working. As for the allegation that the house wasn�t safe from fire hazards, Grissom said he�s not sure exactly what that means. The property has since been sold. "If somebody decides to set it on fire from inside, is it safe from fire hazard?" he asked. "It wasn�t safe from candles ..." The attorney who filed the suit, Michael Brian of Medford, was in his office Friday but did not return a phone call seeking comment on the case. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.