American Pickers’ Frank Fritz ‘CHEATED’ on Diann & ’caused her to suffer third-degree burns’ after firework exploded
AMERICAN Pickers star Frank Fritz “cheated” on his fiancee Diann Bankson and “caused her to suffer third-degree burns” after fireworks exploded in his home.
Diann, 54, sued , 57, for negligence on January 27, 2020 in court papers exclusively obtained by The Sun. She dismissed the case in March 2020.
Diann revealed she and Frank were and were living together in his Iowa farmhouse.
In November 2018, she “walked in and caught him in bed with another woman.”
After the two reconciled, she claimed an incident took place at the farmhouse when Frank and a friend set off fireworks.
Diann claimed the men “had been drinking” at the time, as she went into the home while they lit the fireworks.
She continued in the court papers that the men were unable to light a firework.
Diann alleged: “Both defendants then put it in a closed cylinder vintage ashtray and tried to light it there. The firework did not light again and the Defendant just left it in the covered intake ashtray instead of properly disposing the firework.”
She then claimed that she wasn’t warned about the ashtray, as she used it while smoking a cigarette.
The lawsuit continued to claim: “The ashtray blew up severely burning her hand and arm with third degree burns and burnt off eyelashes and eyebrows."
She claimed Frank “refused” to “take her to the hospital” and instead told her to “toughen up.”
She went to the hospital in the following days and was “treated for third degree burns.”
When the couple split again, she claimed he had the locks changed on a separate Iowa home they shared.
Diann demanded $50,000, claiming Frank was “negligent in the operation of fireworks.”
She claimed she has experienced pain and suffering, emotional distress and mental anguish, past and future loss of function of body and scarring, loss of earning capacity, loss of normal life and medical expenses.
On March 19, 2020, Diann dismissed the lawsuit.
Frank and a rep for American Pickers did not respond to The Sun's request for comment.
The star has posted many photos with Diann on Facebook over the years, though he hasn’t posted with her since September 2017.
Frank has yet to appear on the show’s new season.
Frank’s partner in the series, Mike Wolfe, revealed that Frank was getting back surgery, though it is unclear for what.
The reality star has been in the past.
He previously wrote on Facebook: “A lot of you have been wondering about my health and my weight loss.
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"I have an illness called Crohn’s [disease], which at times is difficult to deal with. I started losing weight and ran with it!”
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He added: ”I have been exercising and eating good… Thanks for all of your kind words of concern! I couldn't do what I do without all of you!"
Season 22 of American Pickers and 9pm ET on the History Channel.
