Article ID: 48efaeff49f546fb30107d1b94f4edab601f0e3f0f1e5fb7786f3057e3133f8a
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URL: https://www.businessinsurance.com/exploding-phone-battery-puts-amazons-liability-in-question/
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Exploding phone battery puts Amazon’s liability in question - Business Insurance Skip to content Register for free Search Search Log In Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Exploding phone battery puts Amazon’s liability in question by Richard Sine Claims Disputes , Product Liability Apr 28, 2026 The Minnesota Supreme Court has been asked to decide whether Amazon is liable under state law for nearly $4 million in fire damage caused by a defective battery purchased on its website. In Berkley Regional Insurance Co. v. Amazon.com Inc., handed down Monday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, a three-judge panel declined to rule on whether Amazon faces strict product liability under Minnesota law for third-party goods it stores and ships. Instead, the court sent the question to the state’s high court, calling it a matter of widespread public importance with no clear answer under existing state law. The case began when Rochelle Zappa, an employee at a Minnesota business, bought a replacement phone battery on Amazon from Yishda, a Chinese seller. The battery was labeled as “Amazon’s Choice” on the site, arrived in an Amazon bag, and was delivered by an Amazon driver through the company’s Fulfillment by Amazon program, court records say. Two weeks later, the battery caught fire while charging, causing nearly $3.9 million in damage to Ms. Zappa’s office. Her employer’s insurer, a unit of W.R. Berkley, covered the loss and then sued Amazon to recover. The central legal question is whether Amazon — which never owned the battery but stored, shipped, and handled customer service for the sale — can be treated as a product distributor under Minnesota’s strict liability rules. The Eighth Circuit noted that courts across the country have split on the issue, with some states holding Amazon liable and others not. Writing for the panel, Judge David R. Stras said the Minnesota Supreme Court “has not decided a significant chain-of-commerce strict-liability case involving a retailer since pre-internet times.” The issue “affects not only Amazon, but the millions of Minnesotans who buy products online every year,” he added The Eighth Circuit has stayed the case pending the Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision on whether to take up the question. 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