Apple Watch Lawsuit Claims Device Caused Second-Degree Burn to Woman’s Wrist

Complaint joins a series of smartwatch lawsuits filed over battery problems, which have resulted in burns, lacerations and other wrist injuries.

A New York woman has filed a product liability lawsuit alleging that an Apple Watch Series 9 overheated while she was wearing it at work, causing a second-degree burn to her wrist and permanent injuries.

The complaint (PDF) was originally brought by Letisha Saunders in the Supreme Court of the State of New York on December 29, 2025, naming Apple Inc. as the sole defendant. The case was removed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on February 24.

The Apple Watch is the company’s flagship smartwatch, marketed as a wearable device for health monitoring, fitness tracking and everyday communication. It tracks heart rate, sleep and activity levels, allows users to make calls, send texts and complete digital payments.

However, lithium ion batteries used to power the Apple Watch and other popular smartwatches have been linked to a series of injuries in recent years. In 2024, Apple agreed to pay $20 million to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging that battery overheating and swelling in Apple Watch Series 0, 1, 2 and 3 devices caused screens to crack or detach, creating a risk of cuts and other injuries.

In March 2022, a FitBit Ionic smartwatch recall followed more than 115 reports of overheating batteries, with 78 confirmed burn injuries in the United States. A $12.25 million FitBit settlement over the company’s failure to properly report burn hazards to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was later reached with regulators.

Apple Watch Burn Lawsuit

In her complaint, Saunders alleges that she was wearing her Series 9 Apple Watch on October 31, 2025, when she suddenly felt a burning sensation beneath the device.

The lawsuit indicates Saunders quickly removed the watch, but not before suffering a second-degree burn to her wrist.

Saunders contends the watch was defective and unreasonably dangerous, asserting that a wearable device intended for everyday use should not be prone to causing severe burns or disfiguring injuries.

She alleges that Apple failed to properly test the smartwatch or conduct adequate post marketing safety monitoring before and after its release. The lawsuit further claims the company continued to sell the device without sufficient warnings, despite knowing of potential battery related safety risks.

“The defect in the Apple Watch was a substantial factor in causing the Plaintiff’s injuries.”

— Letisha Saunders v. Apple Inc.

The lawsuit raises allegations of negligence, strict products liability, breach of express warranty and breach of implied warranty. It is seeking damages in excess of the jurisdictional limits of lower courts for Saunders’ alleged injuries, which the lawsuit describes as severe and permanent.

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