14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung’s Note 7 drama is not over yet, and the South Korean company is now hit with another lawsuit that brings forward an idea which is certainly frightening for the millions of Samsung phone owners out there.
Brandon Covert and his wife, Jennifer, are suing Samsung after a Galaxy S6 Active exploded in their home, causing what they described as five-inch flames, as well as “melted flash” as the man tried to kick away the burning device.
What they claim, however, is that the Note 7 is not the only phone that comes with faulty batteries and poses a risk of explosion, with the complaint accusing Samsung of knowing that more models are prone to catching fire but selling them to customers anyway.
The couple describes the moment when the Galaxy S6 Active burst into flames as “a loud explosion” similar to a gunshot, adding that the room was quickly filled with smoke. Despite the man’s efforts to stop the fire, “foamy, acidic-like substance began spewing from the phone,” so his only option was to grab the device and throw it in the kitchen sink and cover it with water.
“What remained was a contorted pile of metal, plastic and glass, along with Brandon’s melted flesh,” the couple said in court documents according to The Guardian.
“Other phones posing risks of explosions”
The complaint also links to more than 30 complaints received by Samsung in the last few years and pointing to phones that exploded, all of which have been ignored by the company, as the couple suggests. The first one took place in 2011, and the majority involve other phone models than the Note 7, including the Galaxy S2, S3, S5, S6, and S6 Edge.
“As the batteries progressed and became more powerful, the consequences became more significant. This information is being repressed and has not been made public by Samsung. They are clearly aware of the dangers of their phones beyond the [Galaxy Note 7],” Gene Stonebarger, one of the lawyers representing the couple, explains.
Although Samsung hasn’t issued statements regarding this lawsuit, it’s worth noting that the cases referenced in lawsuit documents were only isolated reports and not widespread issues as it happened with the Note 7. Furthermore, it hasn’t been demonstrated that battery issues were the cause of explosions in previous cases, as other factors might have influenced the charging process, including third-party chargers or cables.
Isolated reports of phones catching fire also happened in the case of other phone manufacturers, including Apple, so it’s safe to say that, for the moment, only the Note 7 suffered from a widespread problem that led to increased risk of fire and all the other Samsung models should be safer to use.