Apple Japan, Sony settle battery fire lawsuit

Apple Japan and Sony have agreed to jointly pay about 1.3 million Yen (about $13,000) in damages to settle a lawsuit filed by a Japanese couple who argued that the husband had suffered burns after their Mac caught, according to Dow Jones. The couple sued and successfully recovered damages because the fire was caused by the Sony-made battery, according to judicial sources quoted by Japan-based Kyodo News Agency. According to the report, the three parties reached the settlement on April 2, but both Sony and the Japan unit of Apple declined to comment on the settlement.

Last July, the Japanese man sued both Sony and Apple Japan for 2 million yen (about $16,700) after he allegedly suffered burns -- in March of 2006 -- on his finger when his Mac notebook battery pack caught on fire. His wife, who claims she had to seek medical treatment as a result of stress from the incident, was also named as a plaintiff in the suit.

While Apple Japan accepted liability during the trial, Sony argued a link between the fire and the battery has not been determined. Apple Japan, however, insisted it could not settle the dispute out-of-court because the couple had demanded excessive compensation.

The industry-wide recall included more than 10 million Sony-manufactured batteries, some of which caught fire due to a short circuit resultant from errant, small metal particles. In spite of Sony's efforts, Apple's notebooks were still purportedly catching fire as late as March of 2007.

Filed under: Apple, computers
Other story tags: sony, notebooks, lawsuit, battery recall, battery fire