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Milwaukee Man Sues Makers of Brut After Cologne Ignites on Camping
Trip

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

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MILWAUKEE  �  An 81-year-old Milwaukee man has sued the makers of Brut
cologne after it ignited and burned parts of his hands, chest and
neck.

Charles B. Lewitzke's case was filed in the U.S. District Court in
Wisconsin's Eastern District this week. He is seeking unspecified
damages from Helen of Troy Ltd., an El Paso, Texas company that owns
and markets Brut, and Unilever Home & Personal Care USA, of New
Jersey, a division of Conopco Inc., which had previously owned the
product.

He also is suing Wal-Mart Stores East, LP, which is where he bought
two Brut products, a lotion and deodorant spray.

A message left for Lewitzke's attorney was not immediately returned
Wednesday. Christopher Meadows, a lawyer representing the defendants,
said they were still investigating the claims and he would make no
comment.

According to court filings, Lewitzke was burned while camping with
family members on Memorial Day in 2004 in Wisconsin Dells, a popular
resort area outside of Madison.

He washed and shaved in a bathhouse on the camp grounds and applied
Brut lotion to his face, neck and chest with his hands. He also used
the aerosol deodorant. He then went to a fire pit to cook breakfast.

His face, neck and chest ignited while he was starting the cooking
fire, his lawsuit says.

Lewitzke's attorney, Michael Hanrahan, told the Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel that his client suffered burns on 30 percent of his body and
underwent three skin grafts.

He claims in court documents that the Burt products and their
packaging were the direct cause of Lewitzke's injuries and were
defective because they were "unreasonably dangerous." The suit also
says the products' labeling was unsafe because it should have warned
about the danger of fires, and the manufacturers should have tried to
minimize that risk.

Brut's manufacturers and companies selling the products should be held
liable for Lewitzke's injuries, medical expenses, and the pain and
disability he has suffered, the lawsuit argues.

"Our view is there is no warning that after you apply it, you remain
flammable for some period of time," Hanrahan told the newspaper. "You
aren't thinking, 'I'm still flammable."'