A mother from Ohio says her son’s iPod Touch exploded in his pants, caught fire, and left him with serious burns. Now, she’s suing Apple for $225,000 in damages.
The lawsuit, filed in Cincinnati on Wednesday, claims the 16GB iPod touch exploded while inside the 15-year-old boy’s pants pocket.
The boy was sitting at his desk in school, the document says, when he “heard a loud pop and immediately felt a burning sensation on his leg.” When he stood up, the suit says, he realized the device was on fire.
“[He] immediately ran to the bathroom and took off his burning pants with the assistance of a friend,” the lawsuit states. “The Apple [iPod Touch] had burned through [his] pants pocket and melted through his Nylon/Spandex underwear, burning his leg.”
The boy is said to have suffered second-degree burns along with other “physical and mental conditions which will cause him to suffer pain, mental distress, emotional distress, and otherwise for the rest of his life.”
The family is demanding $75,000 in “compensatory damages,” another $75,000 in “punitive damages,” and yet another $75,000 in legal fees and other “special damages.”
The suit names both Apple and the group of 10 employees who were at the Apple Store when the device was purchased as defendants. Apple has a policy against discussing legal issues while they are still pending.
You can read the lawsuit in its entirety here (PDF).
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Comments received
Ynda said on Mon, 16 Mar 2009
Exploding iPods? Exploding skyscrapers? I don't believe any of it!
John V. Keogh said on Mon, 16 Mar 2009
Perhaps he should have kept the device in his trousers rather than his underwear.
Tom said on Mon, 16 Mar 2009
And spandex underwear at that...!
Todd Rivers said on Mon, 16 Mar 2009
What's new, lot's of teenage boys experience explosions in their pants.
Joni said on Mon, 16 Mar 2009
I guess I better not tuck my touch into my cleavage while jogging anymore.
Ben-Gan said on Mon, 16 Mar 2009
I hope they get every penny!
ascylto said on Tue, 17 Mar 2009
Reportedly, the medical bill for this dreadful injury was $15. In the USA, that's about how much you pay for a nurse saying "There, there."
It sounds like a scam to me!
P.S. Todd ... excellent comment!
Gippo said on Wed, 18 Mar 2009
Hope they win the lot. Prob a buggy battery, happened enough times before - but not like you can swap the battery just in case.
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