Updated on: 4/26/2021
A family in Kirkland has officially filed a lawsuit for damages against Comcast after two men broke into the family's home and left their son with life-threatening injuries.
According to KING5.com, Leena Rawat and her family moved into their Kirkland home in September 2013 and immediately purchased a home security system from Comcast to protect against intruders. Rawat says the company came to her home shortly after they moved in and installed an “intruder-proof” security system equipped with motion sensors and alarms.
“And he check marked that this home is certified to be intruder proof,” Rawat told KING5 News.
Unfortunately, “intruder-proof” is hardly the right term to describe the effectiveness of the security system that was installed in the family's home. About a month after the installation, two men broke in through a window located in the basement of the house. According to Rawat, these men were on a violent mission to kill. They began torturing Rawat's 18-year-old son, allegedly “trying to cut off his arm and leg.”
“He was full of blood from head to toe, with gashes,” the traumatized mother recalls. “He was in the worst situation possible that a mother wants to see her child in.”
The family recalls being promised a “secure network” that would sound alarms and alert the authorities if someone tried to break in. But if the system was working correctly, one would assume that this terrifying ordeal would never have happened in the first place.
Comcast Responds, Legal Liability Questioned
Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Comcast (likely via their legal team) responded with the following defensive statement:
'We want to take this opportunity to extend our sympathies to the Rawat family. However, after a review of our records, we are confident that our home security system functioned properly.'
Earlier this year, Comcast moved to dismiss the case on the pleadings but were denied by Judge Douglas North of the King County Superior Court.
Comcast has made a promise to customers that its security systems would protect them from intruders, including warning them of an unauthorized entry. If it can be proven that the security system actually failed or did not function properly, then there is likely a viable claim for damages. It will ultimately be important for the family to prove that Comcast breached its duty to protect them.