Cy-Fair Walmart laptop ignites lawsuit

A Sugar Land insurer is suing, on behalf of its insured, claiming a defective computer battery pack, purchased at a Walmart in Cy-Fair, ignited a fire that damaged a home in Katy.

Sugar Land’s Amica Lloyd’s of Texas filed a lawsuit on behalf of Dane and Joanne Stewart on March 17 in the Harris County District Court against Samsung Electronics America Inc., CSW Corp. of Memorial and others, citing negligence, breach of implied warranty and violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

The plaintiff says the fire that ruined the Stewarts’ home, located at Rolling Timbers Drive in Katy, was caused by a defective cell of a laptop computer’s battery pack or its battery charger. According to the brief, the Everex StepNote laptop the Stewarts purchased from a Walmart in Cy-Fair caught fire while it was left plugged into its battery charger, substantially damaging the Stewarts’ home.

The plaintiff is seeking actual damages in the amount of $290,988.04, exemplary damages and court costs. It is being represented in the case by The Woodlands attorney J. Daniel Woodall.

Harris County District Court Case No. 2011-16735.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.