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Apple sued over 'exploding' iPod Touch

A 15-year-old boy's iPod Touch allegedly exploded in his pocket at school, causing second-degree burns and a lawsuit filed against Apple.

Tom Krazit Former Staff writer, CNET News
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
Tom Krazit
2 min read
A 15-year-old iPod Touch user did not have all that much fun with his new iPod. James Martin/CNET

Apple has been sued by the mother of a 15-year-old boy who said his 16GB iPod Touch exploded in his pants pocket, burning his leg.

Ars Technica spotted the case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Apparently one day in class the boy "heard a loud pop and immediately felt a burning sensation in his leg," according to a copy of the complaint. (Click here for a PDF copy.)

According to the complaint, the boy "realized his Apple iTouch (sic) had exploded and caught on fire in his pocket. ....Plaintiff A. V. immediately ran to the bathroom and took off his burning pants with the assistance of a friend. The Apple iTouch had burned through Plaintiff A. V.'s pants pocket and melted through his Nylon/Spandex underwear, burning his leg."

The plaintiff suffered second-degree burns as a result of the explosion, according to the complaint, and is seeking in excess of $225,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. An Apple representative said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

Mobile device explosions causing injuries are unfortunately an old story, but in many cases those explosions can be traced to faulty mobile phone batteries that are often cheap knock-offs added by the user. The battery on the iPod Touch, however, is not replaceable by the user.

There are an awful lot of facts that must come to the surface before we know exactly what happened with this particular iPod Touch, but the case bears watching.