LA man suing after he says e-cig battery exploded, burned his genitals

Nearly a dozen new lawsuits are being filed that claim people were burned by exploding e-cigarette batteries, including one from a Los Angeles man who said he was seriously injured.

"I suffered second- and third-degree burns to my legs, thighs, genitals and penis," Erik Howell said. "The pain was the worst you could imagine - definitely a 20 on a scale of one to 10."

Erik was not smoking an e-cigarette when it happened, he simply had a spare battery in his pocket. The company that makes the battery is LG Electronics.

"Our law firm is handling over 80 of these e-cigarette explosion cases, and we're seeing a trend with LG, and that trend is that their batteries are defective and they're exploding," said attorney Greg Bentley.

Erik's case is one of ten being filed by the firm of Bentley and More. They are seeking compensation and possibly punitive damages for an industry they say is completely out of control.

"The reality is this industry is still operating like the wild, wild West, without regulation to make sure these products are safe," Bentley said. "It's not going to change."

Howell still isn't sure if he will fully recover from his injuries, and he has gone back to smoking cigarettes because he's convinced it's safer than vaping.

LG Electronics has not responded to requests for comment.