SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (CN) — Three teenagers have sued the tankless water heater manufacturer Navien, claiming the company knew its products were potentially deadly years before their parents died of carbon monoxide poisoning while staying overnight at a posh oceanfront home.
The teenaged children of John and Kristen Ruskey say their parents died when a Navien tankless water heater and exhaust venting system leaked carbon monoxide from an adjacent laundry room into the guest bedroom where they were staying. The children say the water heaters have been problematic for years, resulting in the recall of 13,000 units in 2011 and causing at least nine deaths in the United States and abroad since 2019.
They seek damages on a products liability claim from Navien, Inc. and Kyung Dong Navien Co. and premises liability damages from homeowners Ben and Robin Korman, claiming they did not have a working carbon monoxide detector in the residence…