News, info, and opinion by Mac users, for Mac users.

April 14, 2008

business

Exploding battery like winning the lottery

Posted Apr. 14, ’08, 4:00 PM PT by Dan Pourhadi
Category | Business

macbookFire.jpgOkay, sure: If your house catches fire and your things are damaged, there may be some sentimental loss or physical injury that can’t be recouped in a lawsuit. But boil everything down to dollars and cents — or, in this case, yen — and a successful lawyer offensive could be very lucrative.

Infinite Loop reminds us of the “Great Laptop Battery Recall of 2006,” when Sony-made batteries in notebooks from manufacturers like Dell and Apple started catching fire randomly, damaging property and forcing many users to don full bomb-squad gear when working on their spreadsheets. The batteries were recalled but, naturally, lawyers sensed the companies’ blood, and lawsuits followed.

One Japanese couple whose Mac laptop caught fire was among the litigious. From the Down Jones wire report:

The fire burnt part of the floor and carpet, and the husband suffered burns to his fingers as he tried to take the computer out of the house. The wife’s health was affected due to the shock of the incident, they said.

The couple has reportedly settled with Apple Japan (who accepted liability) and Sony (who’s still in denial), netting Y1.3 million for medical and repair costs. Yes, Y1.3 million.

Which is… about $13,000.

Wait, that’s not very lucrative at all. Should’ve sued in the U.S., where companies pray for six-digit settlements.


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