LG Exploding Vape Battery Suit Gets Lifeline From Ohio Justices

LG Chem Ltd. must defend against a product liability suit from two Toledo men alleging the firm’s rechargeable batteries exploded vape pens in their pants pockets, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

The unanimous court denied the South Korean tech giant’s attempt to dismiss the complaint at a preliminary stage for lack of personal jurisdiction—the legal doctrine which requires a company to have availed itself of a state business market in order for plaintiffs to drag the company into court in that state.

LG claimed that it wasn’t participating in the Ohio market because it didn’t sell or advertise these ...