San Angelo Woman Shockingly Sues After Sleeping with Her Smartphone—You Won't Believe What Happened Next!

SAN ANGELO, TX — A San Angelo woman is taking legal action against smartphone manufacturer TCL Communication, Inc. after allegedly suffering severe burns from her TCL ION X phone (Model T430W) due to its overheating lithium-ion battery. The incident reportedly took place on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2023, while the device was charging.

Kimberly C. Barron, a resident of San Angelo, purchased the phone from a Walmart Supercenter in September 2023. Just two months later, she claims the device overheated while she was charging it overnight. According to her lawsuit, Barron rolled over onto the charging phone while asleep and sustained first- and third-degree burns to her lower back. She describes waking up to "intense pain" and discovering that the device had burned her skin.

“While reading on her phone, Plaintiff drifted off to sleep; dropping the phone face-down on her bed. As she slept, Plaintiff rolled over and ended up lying on top of the phone,”

the lawsuit states. It further claims that Barron continues to suffer from permanent scarring and skin discoloration as a result of the incident.

The lawsuit was filed on November 17, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, San Angelo Division. Barron’s complaint alleges that TCL sold a dangerously defective product, specifically pointing to the phone's Alcatel TLI028C7 lithium-ion battery, which is said to be prone to "thermal runaway." This phenomenon occurs when a battery enters an uncontrollable self-heating state, potentially leading to extreme temperatures, fire, and smoke.

Barron's attorneys argue that the phone and its battery were defectively designed and manufactured, and they claim that TCL failed to provide adequate warnings about the risks associated with overheating or thermal runaway. The lawsuit includes allegations of strict products liability, negligence, and breach of express and implied warranties. Despite TCL's marketing, which promotes the ION X as having a "robust" battery that enables "stress-free charging," the lawsuit contends that the company knew or should have known about the dangers posed by poorly designed lithium-ion batteries and failed to ensure the product's safety.

In her lawsuit, Barron is seeking compensatory damages exceeding $75,000 to cover past and future medical expenses, physical pain, mental anguish, lost wages, and diminished enjoyment of life. She is represented by the national products liability firm Johnson Becker, PLLC, which has experience handling cases related to lithium-ion battery burns and explosions, along with local counsel from Clark, Von Plonski & Anderson in San Angelo.

As of now, TCL Communication, Inc., a Delaware corporation based in Irvine, California, has not yet filed a response in the case, which remains in its early stages. According to court records, the company was served on November 20, 2025.

This incident raises significant concerns about the safety of lithium-ion batteries, which are widely used in consumer electronics. Overheating and thermal runaway in these batteries have led to previous recalls and lawsuits in the tech industry. As more consumers rely on smartphones for daily tasks, ensuring the safety of these devices becomes increasingly critical.