Bankruptcy
Battery-making giant Exide Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week, declaring more than $1 billion in liabilities; it plans to sell all of its assets, in a crunch partly brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Killed by a Vape
The family of the late William Eric Brown sued Smoke and Vape DZ, of Fort Worth, claiming it sold him and installed an LG 18650 battery for his vaping device, and it exploded, lacerating an artery in his neck and killing him, in Tarrant County Court.
Read moreChild Labor
A federal class action claims Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Dell, Tesla, et al. knowingly profit from brutal abuse of young children in the Democratic Republic of Congo to mine cobalt for lithium-ion batteries used in their electronic devices.
Read moreEU Approves State Aid to Develop Car Batteries Industry
The European Union has approved $3.5 billion in subsidies from seven member countries that want to develop the electric battery industry and challenge China’s supremacy.
Read moreGruesome Death
The Estate of the late Caleb Michael Joyner sued Olight Technology, Mica Electronics, et al., of China, for fraud and negligence, claiming Nuon brand lithium batteries in an Olight flashlight exploded while Joyner held it in his mouth fixing his car, killing him, in federal court.
Read moreTesla Accident
Parents of a man who died in a single-vehicle car crash sued Tesla Motors, claiming the Model S Tesla accelerated uncontrollably, smashed into a wall and “the vehicle’s lithium-ion batteries burst into an uncontrollable and fatal fire,” in Santa Clara County Court, Calif.
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Nobel in Chemistry Awarded for Work on Lithium-Ion Batteries
Three scientists on Wednesday were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their contributions to the development of lithium-ion batteries, which have reshaped energy storage and transformed cars, mobile phones and many other devices in an increasingly portable and electronic world.
Read moreBattery Antitrust
A federal judge approved a $49 million settlement for indirect purchasers of lithium ion batteries: Samsung will pay $39.5 million, Panasonic $5.5 million, and Toshiba and Tokin each will pay $2 million.
Read moreHazardous Waste
Los Angeles County reached a $1.82 million settlement with Wiley Sanders Truck Lines over its unlawful transportation of lead-contaminated plastic battery chips to a site in Bakersfield.
Read moreScientists Tout Alternatives to Lithium Batteries
The mineral resources needed to make batteries could become strained as global demand rises, but researchers at Georgia Tech say they may have found viable alternatives to traditional lithium battery construction.
Read moreLithium Batteries
A federal judge granted final approval Thursday to three settlements in the sprawling lithium ion battery antitrust case. Of the $139 million settlement fund for direct purchasers, $41.5 million will come from LG Chem, $24.5 million from Samsung, $4.95 million from NEC Tokin, and $45 million will go to attorneys’ fees.
Read moreBattery Antitrust
A federal judge refused Monday to certify a class of indirect purchasers in long-running litigation over the alleged price-fixing conspiracy of lithium ion batteries.
Read moreVape Battery Explosion Lawsuits on the Rise
More than 120 lawsuits were filed across the United States in 2017 by plaintiffs claiming they were hurt in explosions and fires caused by e-cigarette batteries.
Read moreMore Battery Settlements
A federal judge on Friday granted preliminary approval to three settlements in the sprawling lithium ion battery antitrust case: $41.5 million from LG Chem, $24.5 million from Samsung and $4.95 million from NEC Tokin.
Read moreBattery Antitrust
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers gave final approval to settlement of All Indirect Purchasers claims against Hitachi Maxell, NEC, and LG Chem, in lithium ion batteries antitrust litigation.
Read moreStudy Finds New Source of Lithium in Supervolcanoes
Every time you fire up your iPad, Prius or bicycle headlamp, you’re probably using the chemistry of lithium. And a new study published Wednesday by Stanford University reveals how to help make America lithium independent – by harvesting lithium from supervolcanoes.
Read moreBattery Supplier Rejects Blame for Overheating Blinds
A window treatment company wrongly blamed its battery supplier instead of flaws in its product for motorized blinds overheating and catching on fire, the supplier claims in a lawsuit filed Monday.
Read moreToshiba and Other Battery Companies Settle for $7.45M
Toshiba and two other top battery producers will pay a combined $7.45 million to settle antitrust class action claims that they conspired to raise the price of lithium ion batteries for more than a decade.
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