HP laptop battery fire overview:
- Who: A jury ruled that Hewlett-Packard was not proven to be liable in a lawsuit from insurer Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company for a Seattle apartment fire that left one dead, according to Law360.
- Why: The jury ruled that a lithium-ion laptop battery was not proven to be the cause of the fire, the website said.
- Where: The fire occurred at the Bluffs at Evergreen apartment complex in Seattle
Hewlett-Packard was not found to be liable by a jury for an apartment that caused $5 million in damage and left a man dead, Law360 reported.
Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company failed to prove in the HP lawsuit that a lithium-ion laptop battery caused the fire, which reportedly began in the bedroom where resident Mark Davis was and left him dead, the website reported.
HP had a lithium ion battery expert testify that he examined 3D images of the interior of the laptop battery and found that the battery went into “thermal runaway” because of a fire that began elsewhere, not due to a fire that began with the laptop, Law360 said.
The technology company’s lawyer claimed that the HP laptop battery fire was actually caused by Davis, who was upset that partner Lynn Yevrovich decided that she was leaving the relationship.
Deceased tenant could have started fire himself, HP lawsuit attorney says
Yevrovich told police and firefighters that Davis was drunk and upset and that she believed he had deliberately started the fire, Law360 reported. Portions of the video with Yevrovich’s interview were played for the jury.
“His last known words on this planet were a string of profanities towards her,” HP laptop battery fire lawyer Christopher G. Betke told the jury, according to Law360.
A number of fires caused by exploding lithium-ion batteries has raised concerns, with the batteries found in a number of popular consumer products and transportation mobiles such as electric transit buses and scooters.
Have you ever had a laptop or lithium-ion battery catch fire? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by John R. MacMillan of MacMillan Scholz & Marks and Ryan A. Johannsen of Stitch Angell Kreidler & Unke PA.
The defendant is represented by Kenneth M. Roessler of Mix Sanders Thompson PLLC and Christopher G. Betke of Coughlin Betke LLP..
The HP laptop battery fire lawsuit is Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company v. Hewlett-Packard Company, Case No. 2:19-cv-00133, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
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