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A woman has successfully sued former phone manufacturer LG for nearly \u00a3150,000 after one of its devices sparked a fire in her home in North Lanarkshire.<\/p>\n
Denise Parks and her husband Robert were in bed at their house in Coatbridge when a fire broke out in the living room at about 03:00 on 31 October 2018.<\/p>\n
At Edinburgh Sheriff Court, a judge ruled that an LG phone, supplied to Ms Parks by her employer North Lanarkshire Council, was the source of the fire.<\/p>\n
The majority of the money won has been allocated to an insurance company through a subrogated loss claim.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
This is when an insurer, after paying out for a claim, inherits the rights of the insured to claim against the responsible party.<\/p>\n
In his judgement, Sheriff Robert Fife said: “At the time the fire started, the LG was in normal use, being charged by a suitable charger, and in circumstances in which a standard product would not have failed.”<\/p>\n
“The court was entitled to draw an inference that the LG was defective.<\/p>\n
“The LG did not meet the standard of safety that persons generally are entitled to expect.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The court heard Ms Parks was treated for smoke inhalation after the fire.<\/p>\n
She had a history of panic attacks and anxiety which worsened after the incident.<\/p>\n
As a result of the fire, she was off work between 2 November in 2018 and 7 February 2019.<\/p>\n
She raised an action against LG Electronics UK Ltd at the personal injury court at Edinburgh Sheriff Court seeking damages.<\/p>\n
The court heard that a laptop and two mobile phones, a Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG K8, were left charging on a couch before the couple went to bed.<\/p>\n
Liability for the fire was contested, but the sheriff ruled on the balance of probabilities that the LG phone ignited the fire.<\/p>\n
He found that there was a defect in the LG phone and that Ms Parks had successfully established liability against the makers.<\/p>\n
He also found that she had proved she sustained injury because of the fire.<\/p>\n
The sheriff ruled that Ms Parks was entitled to \u00a3149,496 in damages, with more than \u00a3140,000 of that sum going to her insurer.<\/p>\n
In 2021 LG announced that it was shutting down its smartphone division<\/a> after struggling to compete with other brands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n