Illinois Appellate Court Finds Personal Jurisdiction Over Non-resident Manufacturer in Battery-explosion Lawsuit
By Paul V. Esposito
Illinois has personal jurisdiction over South Korean manufacturer LG Chem, whose lithium battery put in a vaping device exploded in a user’s pocket. Kothawala v. Whole Leaf, LLC, 2023 Ill. App. LEXIS 210972 (3/28/23). Despite not intending its batteries to be sold individually, LG purposely directed commercial activity to Illinois. The lawsuit was related to LG’s in-state activities. LG shipped batteries into Illinois, and the alleged malfunction occurred there.