Dell Customer Must Arbitrate Battery Defect Claims, Court Says

Dell Technologies Inc. convinced a federal judge to compel arbitration of a customer’s claims that the lithium-ion battery in her laptop was defective.

Sandra Hopkins alleged the battery in the Dell Inspiron 15 300 Series laptop that she purchased in 2020 didn’t reliably hold a charge and degraded prematurely. She brought a proposed class action against the company including claims for consumer fraud, breach of warranty, and unjust enrichment, among others.

The US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois granted Dell’s motion to compel arbitration on May 2.

The sale terms with explicit notice of an arbitration agreement ...