An appliance manufacturer and an appliance repair company agreed to an $8.7 million settlement Jan. 13 in Acerra v. Whirlpool Corp., a Monmouth County, N.J., suit over a fatal house fire.

The suit claims that a June 12, 2009, house fire in Shrewsbury, N.J., was sparked by a defectively designed Maytag dishwasher. The dishwasher was recalled because its design caused caustic rinse-aid solution to drip from its dispenser onto the wiring harness, causing the wires’ insulation to deteriorate.