The Jetson Plasma Iridescent Hoverboard sells for $148 at Walmart and allows riders to zip around on two wheels.
It’s powered by a lithium-ion battery and on Feb. 1, 2022, one at the Wadsworth home in Sweetwater County allegedly experienced a “thermal runaway,” causing it to burst into flames and burn down the home, according to a lawsuit filed in Wyoming District Federal Court.
Ryan Pasborg was running late for work as he drove past the Wadsworth family home on Highway 374 in James Town in rural Sweetwater County around 4:30 a.m. and saw smoke and flames coming from a bedroom window.
Stephanie suffered “devastating burns covering 35%” of her body, according to court documents.
Weston was also severely burned, but survived, while Pasborg was honored for his heroism.
Now, in Federal District Court in Cheyenne, the Wadsworth family is suing Walmart and Jetson Electric Bikes LLC, manufacturer of the hoverboard. The Wadsworths are represented by attorneys based in California and Florida.
One of their attorneys, Rudwin Ayala of Orlando, Florida, was sanctioned recently when he used an artificial intelligence (AI) research tool while preparing a court brief countering arguments made by Walmart and Jetson.
The companies claim the fire originated in a “yellow shed outside the boy’s bedroom window.”
By constantly referring to this structure as a “smoking shed,” argued Ayala in his brief, the companies’ defense attorneys are attempting to “unduly influence a jury’s perception.”
To back up this claim, Ayala cited case law established in Meyer v. City of Cheyenne.
Ayala constructed other claims from seven additional cases.
“The problem with these cases,” wrote U.S. District Judge Kelly Rankin in a Feb. 6 order, “is that none exist.” ...