Apple Faces Lawsuit Over Exploding iPod Touch

The iPod touch might be the "funnest iPod ever" as per Apple marketing lingo, but it won't help much after the giant faces a lawsuit after a 16GB iPod touch exploded in a 15-year old boy's pants' pocket late in December 2008.

According to a 14-page PDF document unearthed by Ars Technica, the boy "heard a loud pop and immediately felt a burning sensation in his leg" and "realized his Apple itouch (sic) had exploded and caught on fire in his pocket... "

The parents of the boy are seeking in excess of US$225,000 in compensatory and damages after the iPod touch melted through the boys underwear and burnt his leg.  

The lawsuit hinges on an accusation of "gross negligence and recklessness" as well as malicious and fraudulent conduct (apparently because they fail to notice the customer about risks of spontaneous combustion).

Curiously, the lawsuit is not directed against the 10 retail employees who worked at the Apple Store that sold the iPod touch, not Apple as a commercial entity.  A US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio will decide over the outcome of the lawsuit.

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