Brannock Humphries & Berman Picks Up Two More Georgia Appellate Victories

On the heels of a big personal jurisdiction win against LG Chem obtained in September, Brannock Humphries & Berman has secured two more favorable rulings from the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Like the prior case, these two product liability lawsuits involve exploding lithium-ion batteries manufactured by South Korean-based LG Chem. In one case, a Georgia teacher was standing outside school waiting for his students’ bus to arrive when the battery exploded in his pocket, causing gruesome burns. In the other, the battery being stored in a woman’s purse exploded while she was in the waiting room of a Georgia doctor’s office, causing permanent, disfiguring injuries.

Both Georgia residents filed suit against LG Chem in Georgia, seeking recompense for the injuries they suffered in Georgia from products they bought in Georgia. LG Chem sought to dismiss the lawsuits on personal jurisdiction grounds, claiming a lack of sufficient contacts with Georgia. The trial courts denied the motions to dismiss, and LG Chem appealed. On the authority of the favorable decision Brannock Humphries & Berman obtained against LG Chem in September, the Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed. Both lawsuits can now move forward.