iPad Allegedly Causes Apartment Fire; Apple Facing Lawsuit

According to an online article at cultofmac.com, an apartment complex and insurance firm have filed a lawsuit against Apple for allegedly causing a fire that involved an iPad. The fire that occurred back in February 2017 resulted in the death of an apartment tenant.*

The lawsuit alleges that the iPad was “unreasonably dangerous and unsafe for its intended purpose.” This is due to, “defects in its design[,] manufacture and/or a lack of adequate warnings.” It further states that Apple should have been on notice that the lithium-ion battery used in the iPad is hazardous.  In essence, the lawsuit states that the battery is an “ultrahazardous mechanism capable of causing damage, even when reasonably used.”

The plaintiffs in the case, Union Management and Greater New York Mutual Insurance Company are seeking a jury trial to be compensated at the highest rate possible following the death of the tenant. In another lawsuit, the tenant’s late wife filed a lawsuit in February seeking a certain unspecified sum of monetary compensation.  The lawsuit claims include wrongful death, strict products liability, and survival action that were filed against Apple.

There are no details that have been made available in the lawsuit, which renders it impossible to know exactly what happened to cause the tragic fire.  Notwithstanding, Apple had not recalled any iPads that were associated with fires and there are no mass reports of iPad fires occurring.  This highly suggests that the fire and associated death was a one-off accident. 

Both iPhones and iPads use lithium-ion batters for power.  They can explode or become engulfed in flames on occasion.  This can be the result of manufacturing defects or due to damage to the battery that causes its electrodes to touch, resulting in a fire.

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Source:https://www.cultofmac.com/633904/apple-sued-over-fatal-apartment-fire-allegedly-caused-by-ipad/