Man Sues Maker, Seller Of E-Cigarette After Explosion
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A man is suing the maker and a local seller of an e-cigarette, claiming he suffered serious burns after the battery in the device exploded in his pocket.
Kevin Endo filed a products liability lawsuit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court against The Vapor Spot, seeking unspecified damages.
On Nov. 9, Endo bought a Chinese-made lithium-ion battery from the Vapor Spot, which manufactured and sold the Munstro Mod e-cigarette, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit states on Nov. 14, Endo was inside his friend's hotel room when he felt a burning sensation on the upper part of his left leg, where he kept the e-cigarette in his pants pocket.
"Suddenly, the heat was more than he could bear, and he realized he was being burned. As he shook his leg and pushed on the burning object with both of his thumbs, he felt a burning metal object begin to fall through his pocket inside his pants down his leg," the lawsuit said. That was when he realized the e-cigarette battery had exploded and caught fire, the plaintiff alleged.
"Once on the floor, the battery burned and sparks shot out like a Fourth of July firework, ultimately leaving a burn mark on the carpeted floor of the hotel room," according to the lawsuit.
Endo claimed he suffered second- and third-degree burns on his thumbs and his left leg.
A woman who answered the phone at The Vapor Spot in Hollywood declined to comment on the lawsuit. But she said other similar businesses are using the name Vapor Spot without her entity's permission.
The Vapor Spot's other locations are in West Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks and Sacramento.
