Wisconsin Resident Suing Apple for Alleged Defective iPhone 4s Causing House Fire

BY Evan Selleck

Published 21 Jul 2017

In Wisconsin, a house fire last year has Apple in some potential hot water, as one resident points to a defective iPhone 4s as the cause.

Xai Thao and insurance company State Farm are moving forward with a lawsuit levied against Apple for a total of $75,000. According to Thao and the insurance company, Apple sold the Wisconsin resident a defective iPhone 4s, which ultimately started a house fire and destroyed property.

The lawsuit claims that a faulty lithium ion battery in the iPhone 4s short-circuited, which caused the device to catch fire. The report also states that Thao, nor anyone else, ever changed the battery in the iPhone 4s in question, so it is the stock battery under the hood.

“On or about April 1, 2016, the iPhone failed, starting a fire in Thao’s home. Preliminary investigations show evidence of a significant and localized heating event in the battery area of the iPhone as well as remnants of internal shorting, indicating that an internal failure of the iPhone’s battery caused the fire.”

Those filing the complaint against Apple say that the sale of the iPhone 4s caused a “dangerous, unsafe, and defective” environment, which put Thao and others in danger. As it stands right now, Thao and State Farm are seeking $75,000 in damages from Apple, but the case has yet to be heard, so that number may change –in either direction– before it sees its conclusion.

It’s certainly possible that a li-ion battery could short circuit and catch fire, as the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 showcased last year. However, the iPhone 4s went on sale in 2011 and, at least up to this point, that particular issue has not been a widespread one for the handset.

[via MacRumors]