Mr. Vapor Elite Vape Explosion Lawsuit Filed After Woman Suffers Fourth-Degree Burns and Arm Amputation

E-cigarette battery lawsuits allege defective designs and inadequate components can cause vape devices to overheat, ignite or explode, resulting in severe and preventable injuries.

An Oregon woman has filed a product liability lawsuit seeking more than $200 million in damages after a Mr. Vapor Elite rechargeable vape allegedly exploded while she was charging it.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Jessica Kemp and Michael Powell in Oregon Circuit Court on August 7, naming Mr. Vapor Wholesale LLC, International Supply Wholesale LLC and Jacksons Food Stores Inc. as defendants. The case was removed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon on September 10.

Kemp claims the Mr. Vapor Elite device contained defects involving its rechargeable battery and charging system that allowed it to overheat and enter thermal runaway, resulting in an explosion and motel-room fire.

Vape Explosion Risks

Electronic cigarettes, often called e-cigarettes or vape devices, are battery-powered products that convert liquid into an aerosol that users inhale. Many rely on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which can hold substantial amounts of energy despite their relatively small size.

Defective manufacturing or inadequate safety systems can allow lithium-ion batteries to enter thermal runaway, a rapid and uncontrolled rise in temperature that may cause the battery to catch fire or explode. Such failures can occur during charging, ordinary use or while a device is being carried, potentially causing severe burns and injuries to the face, hands and other parts of the body.

A number of e-cigarette battery lawsuits have been filed in recent years over vape explosions, with consumers alleging manufacturers used defective designs or inadequate components that allowed batteries to overheat, ignite or explode, resulting in preventable injuries.

Vape Explosion Injury Allegations

According to the complaint, Powell purchased a Mr. Vapor Elite Blue Raz vape from a Jacksons Food Store in Fruitland, Idaho, on September 11, 2024, and gave it to Kemp in new condition. Kemp allegedly used the device normally for about one day before the incident.

At the time, Kemp and Powell were staying in Room 243 at a Motel 6 in Ontario, Oregon, while searching for an apartment. On the morning of September 12, after Powell left for work, Kemp connected the vape to a USB-C charger while sitting on the bed.

The lawsuit alleges the vape suddenly exploded or entered thermal runaway while charging, igniting the bedding and setting the motel room on fire. Police records cited in the complaint indicate Kemp reported that the device exploded in her hand.

An investigation by the Oregon State Fire Marshal later identified Room 243 as the area of origin and concluded the fire most likely began on or near the bed. Investigators determined an electrical failure involving an overheating vape while charging was the most likely cause.

Kemp alleges she suffered catastrophic thermal and chemical burns to her torso, legs, arms and neck, including fourth-degree burns covering approximately one-third of her body. Her injuries ultimately resulted in amputations involving her right hand, wrist and forearm below the elbow, as well as the loss of her left breast.

The complaint indicates Kemp was also left with extensive scarring, permanent disability, functional impairment and severe ongoing pain.

“Defendants knew or in the exercise of reasonable care should have known that internal rechargeable batteries can undergo thermal runaway, a self-sustaining and uncontrollable temperature increase caused by internal chemical failures, which can rapidly result in smoke, toxic fumes, fire, or explosion, and that such hazards are heightened where the product lacks adequate charge control, thermal monitoring, warnings, and instructions.”

— Jessica Kemp et al. v. Mr. Vape Wholesale LLC et al.

Kemp claims the injuries have already resulted in more than $2 million in medical expenses, with another $3 million projected for future medical care, reconstructive surgery, prosthetics and other life-care needs. The lawsuit also seeks approximately $1.9 million for past and future lost wages and reduced earning capacity, along with about $7,000 for personal property destroyed in the fire.

The largest portion of the damages demand is $200 million for pain, mental anguish, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, inconvenience, humiliation and sleep disruption. Altogether, the complaint seeks approximately $206.9 million in damages.

Plaintiffs allege the defendants knew or should have known that rechargeable vape batteries can overheat and enter thermal runaway when they lack adequate design safeguards, charge controls or thermal monitoring.

The lawsuit maintains the Mr. Vapor Elite was nevertheless sold without sufficient testing, warnings or charging instructions, raising claims for strict products liability, negligence and failure to warn or instruct.

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