A Rossville man has sued the Chattanooga Vapor Company after he said a vape lithium battery exploded, causing serious burns to his leg.
William Boleen filed the complaint in Hamilton County Circuit Court.
The suit says on March 9, 2019, at around 8:15 a.m. Mr. Boleen had his Geek Vape Aegis Pen smoking device in the front right pocket of his pants as he arrived at the Blue Grass Grille for work.
It says the vape device contained lithium ion batteries.
The complaint says he had purchased the batteries from Chattanooga Vapor's local store.
Also in the pocket were a plastic bottle of Air Factory Blue Razz Vape Juice and $70 cash.
The suit says, "Suddenly and without warning, the Geek Vape Aegis Pen device exploded in the plaintiff's pants pocket and caused him to suffer severe burns to his right leg. He did nothing to cause the battery at issue to become overheated, catch on fire and explode, and he suffered multiple traumatic and serious burn injuries as a result."
The complaint says the plaintiff was not aware that the manufacturer of the battery said it was "neither designed nor intended to be used with an e-cig, vape, or similar device."
It says retailers like Chattanooga Vapor Company should not sell them to consumers for use in vaping.
The suit, filed by attorney G. Brent Burks, asks $750,000 compensatory damages and $350,000 punitive damages.