in Newswire May 7, 2021

Lawsuit Claims iPhone 6 Battery Can Overheat Phones, Explode

Franklin v. Apple Inc.

Filed: May 6, 2021 ◆§ 4:21-cv-00354

A lawsuit alleges the battery in Apple’s iPhone 6 devices suffers from a defect that can cause the phones to overheat and explode in the course of normal use.

Defendant(s)

Apple, Inc.

Law(s)

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act Texas Deceptive Practices Act

State(s)

Texas

A proposed class action alleges the battery in Apple’s iPhone 6 devices suffers from a defect that can cause the phones to overheat and explode in the course of normal use.

The plaintiff, a Hopkins County, Texas resident, claims he suffered injuries to his eyes and wrist after his iPhone 6 “suddenly exploded and caught fire in his face.” The lawsuit claims the allegedly defective iPhone 6 battery was sold to “hundreds and likely many thousands” of Texas consumers who will incur similar economic losses and possible medical treatments should the problem manifest and damage their devices.

Per the case, the iPhone 6 battery, more specifically, contains a defect that “makes it unable to reliably perform its function of powering the iPhone 6 without overheating,” and presents a danger of explosion and fire.

The plaintiff says he was listening to music on his iPhone 6 in August 2019 when he noticed that some of the songs had begun to skip. As he picked up the device, the plaintiff’s iPhone “suddenly exploded and caught fire in his face, causing him to fall to the ground,” the complaint relays. In an attempt to catch himself, the plaintiff tried to brace himself with his right hand and, after falling, “immediately felt a burning pain in his eyes and right wrist,” according to the suit. The plaintiff says he suffered injuries in his eyes and wrist that “continue to plague [him] to this day.”

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff’s iPhone was unsafe to operate as a result of the allegedly defective battery and was “destroyed by the explosion,” causing him to incur economic loss on top of the cost of his medical treatment.

Per the case, Apple Inc. breached its warranty that the iPhone 6 would be free from defects, meet design specifications and be fit for its intended purpose. Moreover, Apple allegedly promised that it would pay the expenses associated with product defects and necessary repairs, which the plaintiff says are required in each iPhone 6 as a result of the battery defect.