It was just another day in the life of Staten Island's Joel Lederman on May 10, 2004—that is, until he bent over his kitchen stove to light a smoke and his T-shirt went up in flames. He sustained severe burns to his body and hands, and spent three and a half weeks in a hospital Burn Center, undergoing surgery twice. Then came Lederman's lawsuit against Macy's, where he bought the "light-blue, 100-percent cotton Club Room by Charter Club T-shirt." Now, some might say that's what ya' get for wearing Club Room, but Lederman's lawyers demanded monetary satisfaction, and they have prevailed.
Lederman and Macy's have agreed to a $300,000 settlement. His lawyer says that's "reasonable," but it won't take the pain away. "It still bothers me after six years," Lederman tells the Staten Island Advance. "It hurts all the time." His lawyer contended that a chemical finish on the shirt "behaved as an accelerant, causing the material to burn more intensely and more rapidly." And as a public service, the Staten Island Advance warns its readership that "most clothing will burn and can be ignited by a flame or heat source."
