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Who is Renita Francois? All about former NYC official suing Bath & Body Works over second-degree burns

Renita Francois faced severe burn injuries after a candle exploded in her face in January 2023
  • Renita Francois, a former NYC city hall official, is suing Bath & Body Works (Image via Facebook/Renita R. Francois)
    Renita Francois, a former NYC city hall official, is suing Bath & Body Works (Image via Facebook/Renita R. Francois)

    Renita Francois, a former New York City official, is suing Bath & Body Works after she suffered second-degree burns when a candle exploded.

    Based on the documents obtained by the New York Post, the ex-NYC City Hall worker alleged that the incident happened on January 19, 2023, at her Valley Stream, Long Island home. She is suing the company for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, MailOnline and the Post reported.

    Per her LinkedIn profile, Renita Francois has been working as Chief Program Officer for Tides Advocacy since July 2024. Prior to the role of CPO, she served as the organization’s Chief Strategy Officer. Renita Francois also worked for the NYC Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice for almost seven years.

    Francois’ original position was that of Deputy Director, which she assumed in 2015. Three years later, Renita became Executive Director for the Mayor's Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety and held the post until April 2022. However, it wasn’t the only role she held as a government official.

    Renita Francois also served as Court Analyst and Resource Coordinator for the New York State Unified Court System between 2009 and 2011, according to LinkedIn. Later, she was briefly employed at DaVita and Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT).

    On the personal front, Renita is married to McEvans Francois, who has served as Executive Director at S&P Global Marketing Intelligence since 2022. Based on the former’s Facebook activity, the couple shares three children, with their youngest born in January 2024.


    Renita Francois argued that the chemical additives in wax made the candle “highly flammable”

    The former NYC City Hall official claimed that a candle, manufactured by Canada-based Premier Candle Corp and sold by Bath & Body Works, burst into her face in January 2023, causing burns and scars. According to the New York Post, Francois alleged in her filing that when she leaned in to take a whiff of the candle, it exploded and sent “a shockwave of fire and debris directly into her face.”

    Renita further alleged that she was left with singed brows and lashes, while her face and arms were also impacted by the sudden blast. The mother of three claimed that she suffered sizzling injuries after the explosion. Renita Francois added,

    “[The pain from the blast was] instant, unrelenting, and beyond anything she had ever experienced.”

    In her filing, Francois argued that the chemical additives made the wax “highly inflammable.” She called out the company for manufacturing the $17 candle “with substandard materials, improper safety measures, and inadequate testing, creating an unreasonable risk of explosion.” Renita maintains that the blast “irrevocably changed” her life and added,

    “[The burn and scars caused] an emotional and psychological battle, an assault on her self-perception, and a daily reminder of a tragedy that could have been prevented.”

    Renita’s husband also claims to have witnessed the mishap. According to the filed documents, McEvans saw his spouse’s “face catch fire, crackle, and blister as molten wax burned her skin.” The legal papers further asserted (via the New York Post),

    “Before the explosion, Renita was bold, fearless, and effortless in commanding an audience. Today, she walks into public meetings, panel discussions, and leadership summits knowing that her scars speak before she does.”

    While Renita Francois is seeking unspecified damages, the plaintiff is reportedly also aiming to hold the defendants accountable. Per the Post, she said in her litigation,

    “It [the lawsuit] is about ensuring that corporations that prioritize profit over consumer safety do not escape responsibility for the harm they cause.”

    According to the New York Post, Renita also alleged that the company was aware of its faulty candles and was forced to recall some of its votives following reported cases of “explosions, glass shattering, and injuries caused by molten wax and fire hazards.”

    TOPICS: Renita Francois, Bath & Body Works, Human Interest, Lawsuit, New York City