Topic: Lawsuit Filed Against Nintendo Claims a DS AC Adapter Caused a House Fire

[Penguin_Of_Thyme]

Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company has sued Nintendo for $236,304, claiming a faulty DS Charger caused a Kentucky home to catch fire.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=17443

 On December 17th, Nintendo of America was issued a lawsuit by Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance. The insurance company believes a Kentucky household went ablaze because of a defective DS AC Adapter, and that Nintendo is liable.    

The insurance company wants $236,304 from Nintendo for the damages they awarded French Harmon, the owner of the home that was ravaged by flames. Many charges are made in the complaint, including the claim that fire was the direct result of Nintendo failing "to adequately, properly and safely design, manufacture, assemble inspect and test" the DS AC Adapter.    

One piece of evidence that the complaint mentions to support its case is that Nintendo had previously recalled DS Adapters for their "their risk of overheating and fire." However, the suit fails to mention that the DS Lite chargers that were recalled had solely been sold in Japan.

[Stogi]

After recently seeing Fight Club again, I have been having these thoughts about pissing in the food that I get at a hotel and filing a class action lawsuit.

[KDR_11k]

$5 on user error.

[Ian Sane]

While this is probably BS I'll give that plaintiff credit for asking for a reasonable amount of money.  $236,304 sounds about right for a burned down house.  It isn't some individual asking for millions for "personal trauma".  I don't know if Nintendo is at fault here but the charge is very reasonably.  "We had to pay this much for a house burning down.  We believe this was your fault.  Please re-emburse us for the expense we had to make."  That's what a lawsuit is supposed to be.

[Aero Leviathan]

$5 on user error.

I'm genuinely curious... how exactly does 'user error' result in an AC adapter setting a house on fire, other than hacking it up with a pickaxe before plugging it in?

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

You could dip it in a fishbowl while it charges?

[mac<censored>]

Well... just an imaginary scenario:

87 adapters plugged into the same overloaded wall socket, using a huge tangle of cheapo socket extension cords and socket multipliers, all shoved into a tiny crack next to the couch and covered with a thick layer of dust, and the (flammable) drapes.

Eventually luck runs out and the place burns.

Local ambulance-chaser parachutes in as soon as the fire department leaves, and finds one recognizable adapter made by a deep pockets company in the resulting melted slag heap.  Notices a previous vaguely related lawsuit! Ker-ching!

[nickmitch]

You could try using a foreign adapter, even though you're in Kentucky.

[LuigiHann]

Maybe this was one of those counterfeit DS's with the potentially hazardous chargers, that people were blogging about a while back.

[ThePerm]

did they buy the ds from the uk?

[KDR_11k]

Maybe this was one of those counterfeit DS's with the potentially hazardous chargers, that people were blogging about a while back.

Hm, if that's it Nintendo isn't at fault AFAIK.