Lithium-ion batteries are in nearly every product Americans use every day. Most are fine. Some are not. When a battery fails catastrophically, the fire can happen in seconds. There is rarely a warning. The damage to people, property, and businesses can be permanent.
McDonald & Cody has handled lithium-ion battery fire and explosion cases, including matters involving SK Battery and a $33 million settlement against a battery manufacturer after a fire destroyed a local business. This is a signature practice area for the firm. Jackson McDonald, who clerked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit for three years, leads this work. He understands how the decisions that govern product liability cases actually get made, and he brings that directly to every battery fire case the firm takes.
Thermal runaway is the technical term for what happens when a lithium-ion battery cell fails catastrophically. One cell overheats. That heat spreads to neighboring cells. Each cell that fails makes the next failure worse. The chain reaction can produce fire, explosion, and toxic gases, often within seconds of the first sign of trouble.
It is not an accident in the ordinary sense. Thermal runaway has identifiable causes. Manufacturing defects. Design flaws that allow cells to be pushed beyond safe operating limits. Physical damage that went undetected. Charging systems that apply the wrong voltage. In most cases, someone knew the risk existed and either did not act or did not tell users.
That is where liability begins. McDonald & Cody investigates to find exactly where the chain broke, who knew about it, and what they chose to do.
Electric vehicles carry battery packs that can store enormous amounts of energy. When those packs fail, the results can be catastrophic and extremely difficult to extinguish. EV battery fires burn hotter than conventional fires, can reignite hours or days after they appear to be out, and produce toxic gases that are dangerous to anyone nearby.
EV battery fire cases involve large corporate defendants, complex engineering questions, and evidence that requires immediate preservation. The vehicle’s onboard data, charging records, maintenance history, and the physical battery pack itself all matter. McDonald & Cody has the resources to hire the right experts, preserve the right evidence, and take these cases all the way to verdict against manufacturers who have deep pockets and experienced legal teams.
Georgia drivers are buying electric vehicles at a growing rate. When a battery fire causes serious injury, permanent harm, or death, the family needs a law firm that understands the technology, knows the manufacturers, and is prepared to litigate. McDonald & Cody is that firm.
Large-format lithium-ion battery systems power forklifts, energy storage installations, backup power systems, and industrial equipment across Georgia’s warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities. These systems store far more energy than consumer devices. When they fail, the consequences are not limited to one person or one room.
Industrial battery fires can destroy entire buildings. They can injure multiple workers at once. They can render a business inoperable for months. McDonald & Cody has handled exactly this kind of case. The $33 million settlement against a lithium-ion battery manufacturer arose from a fire that destroyed a local business. That case was built through deep investigation of the battery system, the manufacturer’s knowledge of the defect, and the full scope of the business loss.
If an industrial battery fire has destroyed your business or seriously injured your employees, call us. We know how to investigate these cases. We know how to quantify the full extent of the loss. And we have the resources to litigate them against manufacturers who will not settle without a fight.
Lithium-ion battery fire cases often involve more than one defendant. The manufacturer of the battery cell may bear liability for a manufacturing or design defect. The manufacturer of the product that houses the battery may bear liability if the product’s design pushed the battery beyond safe limits or failed to include adequate protection. A distributor or retailer may bear liability if they sold a product they knew or should have known was unsafe.
Georgia product liability law allows claims based on design defects, manufacturing defects, and failure to warn. Each theory requires different evidence and a different investigation strategy. McDonald & Cody has handled all three and has the depth to pursue all available theories simultaneously.
In some cases, the full chain of liability runs from the raw cell manufacturer through the finished product maker to the company that sold it. McDonald & Cody investigates the entire chain.
Battery fire cases are won or lost in the investigation. The physical evidence degrades fast. The battery pack, if it survives, contains data that tells the story of the failure. The charging history, temperature records, and cell-level forensics can reveal exactly what happened and when the manufacturer first knew there was a problem.
McDonald & Cody works with battery engineers, fire investigators, and product liability experts who understand this evidence at a technical level. The firm has the financial resources to hire the best experts and litigate these cases without cutting corners. They have done it against large manufacturers. They have recovered tens of millions of dollars in battery fire and product defect cases.
Jackson McDonald clerked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit for three years, writing opinions and working directly with federal judges. That experience means he understands how appellate decisions shape product liability strategy at the trial level, and he applies that to every battery fire case the firm takes.
Most law firms have not handled a lithium-ion battery fire case. They do not know the science, the manufacturers, or the evidence. McDonald & Cody has handled these cases at the highest level, including against major battery manufacturers with national legal teams.
Volume firms do not have the financial resources to litigate these cases properly. Expert witnesses in battery fire cases are expensive. Forensic investigation is expensive. Taking a case against a multinational manufacturer to verdict is expensive. McDonald & Cody has those resources and uses them. They do not settle because litigation is hard. They settle when the number is right, and they go to trial when it is not.
$33,000,000
SETTLEMENT | LITHIUM-ION BATTERY MANUFACTURER
$14.5 Million
CONFIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT
$13.1 Million
CONFIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT
We review every inquiry at no charge. If we can help, we will tell you. If we cannot, we will say so.
You pay nothing unless we win. We pay every litigation expense except medical bills.
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