Jury awards $2.7 million to woman burned by exploding e-cigarette

THE sellers of an exploding e-cigarette that left a woman scarred for life by second-degree burns have been ordered to pay $2.7 million.

Previously unissued photo dated 01/11/14 of an e-cigarette smoker at the Vape Lab in Shoreditch, east London, as new figures reveal that electronic cigarettes have been linked to more than 100 fires in the UK since 2012.. Issue date: Monday November 3, 2014. See PA story FIRE Ecigarettes. Photo credit should read: John Stillwell/PA Wire

AN AMERICAN woman badly burned by an exploding electronic cigarette has been awarded $2.7 million by a jury in a product liability suit, her lawyer said.

Jennifer Ries of Corona, California was on her way to the airport in March 2013 when her VapCigs e-cigarette charger started spewing hot metal that ignited her dress right after she plugged it in, lawyer Gregory Bentley said.

Mrs Ries’ husband, Xavier Ries, tossed an iced coffee on her to extinguish the flames, but she was scarred for life by second-degree burns on her buttocks, thighs and hand, according to the lawsuit.

The couple missed their flight to Brazil — where they had planned to help build a community centre for children in the slums of Rio de Janeiro — and Mrs Ries ended up at an urgent care facility and a burn clinic the following day.

After a six-day trial, a Riverside Superior Court jury awarded US$1.9 million to Mrs Ries in the lawsuit against VapCigs, which distributes the Chinese-made e-cigarette and charger, wholesaler Cartons 2 Go and retailer Tobacco Expo, Mr Bentley said.

Lawyers for the defendants did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

“If you’re going to place a product in the marketplace, you have to make sure it’s safe for the consumer,” Bentley said. “If you don’t, you’re at your own peril.”

Mrs Ries stopped vaping after the incident, said Joe Marchelewski, a spokesman for Mr Bentley’s law firm.