Michigan Man Suffered Injuries When His Note 4 Phone Exploded, Says Complaint

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone that a Sterling Heights, Michigan, man bought in 2011 from a T-Mobile store exploded and burst into flames in November, causing him serious injury, said a complaint (in Pacer) accusing Samsung of product negligence. The case is noteworthy among other recent litigation against Samsung because it involves a 5-year-old phone and makes no mention of the Note7 debacle. Bayar Karim filed the complaint March 17 in a Wayne County, Michigan, state court, but Samsung had it removed Wednesday to U.S. District Court in Detroit. Not long after Karim set his Note 4 next to his bed Nov. 30 and went to sleep for the night, he woke up to what sounded to him like a gunshot and saw flames and smoke coming from his smartphone, said his complaint. Karim suffered burns to his face and upper body, as well as hearing loss and the loss of some peripheral vision in one eye, it said. Company representatives didn’t comment Thursday on the Karim complaint and reacted previously to similar lawsuits by saying it stands behind “the safety of the millions of Samsung phones in the U.S.” (see 1612280017).