Samsung announced a global recall for the Galaxy Note 7 in September following reports that a battery problem with the phones was causing burns and property damage. Company executives initially debated how to respond, with some dismissing the incidents as rare occurrences and others stating that the company needed to act decisively.
Customers in South Korea were asked to visit Samsung stores to get their batteries checked before they had to download a program that only allowed 60% of battery capacity. The company then asked them to return to the store again for the recall, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in the Seoul Central District Court.
A separate class action is being prepared for at least three Note 7 owners in South Korea who claim that their phones caught fire.
The suit in Korea comes less than a week after the first Note 7 class action was filed in the U.S. in a federal court in Newark, New Jersey. That complaint seeks to represent a nationwide class of Note 7 owners in Nevada, Pennsylvania and California. The litigation is re: Waudby vs Samsung Electronics America, U.S. district court, district of New Jersey, Newark, No. 16-cv-07334-CCC-JBC.
Plaintiffs in the South Korean class action are seeking unspecified damages and an order requiring Samsung to repair, recall and/or replace the smartphones, and extend applicable warranties. The company on Thursday announced it would give Note 7 owners who exchange their phones in South Korea with a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge discounts on the upcoming Note 8 or S8 phones, which are scheduled to be released next year. Samsung cut its third-quarter operating profit by $2.3 billion earlier this month after deciding to permanently end production of the Note 7.
Source: Bloomberg News