A Clinton Township couple and their insurance company claim in a lawsuit a lithium battery and its management system failed, causing a fire in July 2024 that resulted in the total loss of the couple’s home.

Lindsay and Sean Heinle and Erie Insurance Exchange recently filed the six-count suit against the manufacturer, Allied Battery, of St. Louis, Mo., which does business as Allied Lithium Batteries, as well as several affiliated companies and unnamed parties in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

The suit seeks more than $50,000 in damages and legal fees for each count, which includes claims of product liability, negligence, breach of implied warranty and strict liability. Erie Insurance has already paid $1.28 million to the Heinles and expects to make additional payments, according to the suit.

The couple was home July 30 when they heard a loud popping or banging sound coming from the attached garage area of their home on Sun Mine Road. Sean Heinle went outside and saw black smoke coming from the side of the garage where a golf cart was parked. He attempted to put out the fire using extinguishers and a garden hose, but the fire grew rapidly and burned out of control, according to the suit.

Ten fire departments from Butler and Allegheny counties responded to the fire, which was reported at 11:14 a.m. They remained at the scene until about 3 p.m.

Before the fire, the golf cart had been left charging for an extended time after the battery was found completely dead. The golf cart was equipped with an Allied lithium battery that was purchased and installed around 2022. The cart had been used without incident and routinely charged in the garage, according to the suit.

Multiple potential causes were considered during the investigation into the fire, including the battery, its management system, a nearby Bluetooth speaker with a lithium-ion battery, alleged improper installation and the wall receptacle used for charging, according to the suit.

The investigation narrowed the viable cause theories and increasingly pointed to a defect with the Allied battery and its management system. It is believed the battery or the management system failed during charging and resulted in internal failure, thermal runaway, ignition and fire, according to the suit.

At the time of the fire, the battery system was being used under normal conditions and was substantially in the same condition it was in when it was manufactured, according to the suit.

As a result of the fire, the home sustained severe damage to the garage, structural framing, roof, exterior wood siding, soffit, fascia and interior from smoke, soot and water. The damage was so extensive it was identified as a total loss in the claim, according to the suit.

Allied did not respond to an email seeking comment.