Family Sues over Connecticut Woman’s Bathrobe Fire Death

The family of a Connecticut woman who died after her chenille bathrobe caught on fire while she was making tea has sued the retailer.

Attorneys for the estate of 80-year-old Atwilda Brown filed a lawsuit last week in U.S. District Court in Hartford against Blair LLC, claiming wrongful death and product liability. The lawsuit seeks $30 million.

Brown was severely burned Feb. 12, 2005, when her robe ignited as she made tea in her East Windsor home. She died two weeks later.

Federal authorities say the robes are linked to nine deaths. The Warren, Pa.-based Blair recently expanded its recall of more than 300,000 chenille products it imported from a Pakistani manufacturer.

A message left Wednesday for Blair’s attorneys was not immediately returned.