Y R ARA RS www.thebusinessjournal.com VE NI UPDATED DAILY ANNIVERSARAN thebusinessjournal.com NOVEMBER 24, 2017 THE FOCUS | 1, 3-5, 7-8 Fresno man claims his iPhone ignited. 2018 Now he’s suing Apple David Castellon – STAFF WRITER A Fresno man is the latest and mental anguish suffered REGIONAL ECONOMIC plaintiff in a series of lawsuits when the phone ignited on May FORECAST against smart phone giant Apple, 20 while he was at a friend’s A look ahead at the Inc. and some of its vendors house. economies of Fresno, after his iPhone 6 reportedly His lawyer, J. Ryan Gustafson, Kings, Tulare and ignited and injured him. said Umeh, a pharmacy student Madera counties in 2018 The lawsuit was filed Oct. 11 by in his late 20s, was sitting on a lawyers representing Nwabueze couch while holding his friend’s Umeh in Fresno County Superior child when the iPhone he had THE EXECUTIVE Court, seeking actual and CONTRIBUTED | A Fresno man is included in a number of lawsuits against Apple PROFILE | 9 punitive damages for injuries iPhone | 2 claiming that iPhone 6 models ignited, causing injury and mental anguish. THE FOCUS: REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORECAST Fresno County: Catching the eye of new industries Dan Dreyer, Chairman, David Castellon – STAFF WRITER Citrus Research Board DONALD A. PROMNITZ | Grand pianos on display at Valley Music Center in Fresno. The store will be If you’ve been operating a business or bring 3,000-3,500 new jobs to this area closing its doors next year and moving to north own property in Fresno County this year, and spawn at least an equal number of Fresno, where it will become Steinway Piano Gallery. odds are you have reasons to be happy. additional jobs, said Fresno Mayor Lee THE LIST | “We had some great announcements of Brand. Page 10: Chambers of new employers coming to Fresno County,” Even the announcement in August Commerce most notably Amazon and Ulta Beauty by electric car startup Faraday Future Steinway & Sons strikes Page 11: Community starting construction on large, high-tech that it plans to start building cars next Health Clinics distribution centers in Fresno, said Nikki year in neighboring Kings County is Henry, chief operating officer for the good news for Fresno County, as the a chord in Fresno Fresno County Economic Development 1,000 new jobs created there, along Donald A. Promnitz – STAFF WRITER This Week Online 6 Corp. Those two businesses alone could Fresno County | 5 People on the Move One of the world’s most renowned piano 13-14 makers — relied on by 98 percent of concert Leads 16-17 pianists worldwide — will be opening up an Public Notices 19-25 exclusive dealership in north Fresno next Opinion 26 year, where it will sell its products in a more optimal location. The new dealership, Steinway Piano Gallery, will be located at Palm and Herndon avenues. The owner, Heyner Oviedo, said that he hopes to have the store open by next March. The gallery will exclusively offer pianos by Steinway & Sons and Steinway Grands including Essex and Boston, along Steinway & Sons | 3 PHOTO BY DAVID CASTELLON | The Ulta Beauty distribution center Fresno is nearing completion, and will inject hundreds of jobs into the local economy when it opens. Kings County 3 Madera County 7 Tulare County 8 FAST TIMES EXPECTED IN BRACING FOR A CHALLENGES, 2018, BEYOND RESIDENTIAL BOOM OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEW YEAR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 ISSUE # 325319 | $1.25 PER COPY USPS 145-100 SENSITIVE PRIORITY HANDLING TIME PERIODICAL: 2 www.thebusinessjournal.com FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 iPhone | from 1 No hearing date has been set for the Fresno case, and Gustafson said he placed next to him started to sizzle and doubts the cases will be merged into YOUR AD ... then burst into flames. a class-action suit. “There’s a child there, and he’s afraid Apple officials didn’t immediately ON CEO’S DESKS ... his friend’s couch will go up in smoke,” respond to inquiries about the lawsuit BE SEEN! so Umeh grabbed for the burning by The Business Journal. ALL YEAR LONG phone as flames spread on the couch, The other defendants include some and he suffered first- and second- of the country’s top smart phone degree burns to his fingers and palms, vendors — AT&T Corp. and Verizon DON’t let time run out on this opportunity the attorney said. Communications, Inc. — which Also named as a defendant is reportedly sold phones to some of the Airtouch Cellular, Inc., which reportedly plaintiffs. sold Umeh the phone. The iPhone 6 became available in the Reserve your spot by Dec. 8th His lawsuit is the latest of five filed U.S. market in Sept. 2015. The lawsuits by Gustafson’s Los Angeles-based law claim two of the phones exploded in firm representing people around the March and April of this year, while the country reportedly injured when their other three exploded in May. older-model iPhones exploded. Lawyers for the plaintiffs didn’t Three of the other plaintiffs are specify how long they had owned the adults from Harvest, Ala.; Prussia, Pa.; phones. and Manhattan Beach, Calif., along Last year, several Samsung Galaxy with a minor from Pineville, La. Note 7 smart phones exploded or All the lawsuits are spotty on details caught fire, including some occurring of what happened, other than saying on airplanes, which prompted the that the phones ignited inside homes Federal Aviation Administration to ban where four of the plaintiffs were them on U.S. flights. located and in the right pocket of the The incidents were so frequent and man from Manhattan Beach. widely reported that Samsung recalled His case was filed in Los Angeles 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7s and later County Superior Court, while the cases attributed the problem to irregular- for out-of-state plaintiffs were filed in sized batteries overheating, along with Santa Clara County Superior Court, manufacturing problems. in the same county where Apple’s And while there have been several Cupertino headquarters is located. news reports of a problem with some As for the injuries, none of the of Apple’s newest-model iPhone 8s lawsuits give specifics, instead offering smoking, overheating or having their batteries swell, there have been few “There’s a child there, and he’s reports of such problems or explosions involving the iPhone 6 models. afraid his friend’s couch will go The most notable incident reportedly advertise in the book of listS up in smoke.” involved a phone filmed by a security camera as it exploded in an Australian J. Ryan Gustafson repair shop, and the video was posted of readers find the Book of Lists is a Attorney online. 81% critical business resource. the same broad statement claiming A description included with the video that the plaintiffs suffered “multiple — which had nearly 478,000 views injuries, both internal and external,” on YouTube — states that the phone’s of readers view advertisers in the including severe burns, severe aches, owner was handling it and “The battery pains, mental anxiety anguish and failed and exploded. Initial force of the 75% Book of Lists as leaders in their field. explosion caused the screen to come severe shock to nervous systems. Gustafson offered some further off the phone. Our staff extinguished details, noting that in one case a man the phone with a fire extinguisher. We of readers reference the Book of had fallen asleep with his child in had to evacuate the store due to fumes his arms and his smart phone on his and could not open for the rest of the 71% Lists two or more times a month. day. Draw your own conclusions, but shoulder when it ignited, “and he was awakened by it burning through his imagine if this happened five minutes of advertisers are top of mind when T-shirt, into his arm.” earlier when the guy was driving to the In one case, a phone was on a night shop and not in the shop.” 63% considering specific purposes. stand when it ignited, and the man And in December, the Shanghai sleeping in the room managed to get Consumer Council, a consumer out of bed and to safety before his watchdog group in China, reported of readers make/Influence decisions on mattress caught fire, he said. that it had reports of eight iPhone 6 In that case, as well as the case of devices spontaneously combusting in 96% products & Services within their companies a family of three forced out of their that country. home after their iPhone ignited, the Reuters reported that in response main concerns are potential respiratory to the report, Apple emailed the news issues after inhaling smoke and fumes. agency a brief response stating, “The In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim units we’ve analyzed so far have clearly general negligence against Apple shown that external physical damage for manufacturing and not having happened to them which led to the adequate safeguards to prevent thermal event.” the distribution of a defective and hazardous product, as well as failing David Castellon | Reporter can be reached at: to initiate a timely recall. 490-3464 or e-mail [email protected] PRIME ADVERTISING SPACE ACROSS FROM LISTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE CORRECTION The Nov. 17 issue of The Business Journal featured a story about The Gloria House youth shelter in Visalia. It listed an incorrect date for an To Advertise contact upcoming open house. It will be held on Saturday, Dec. 16, not Dec. 14. [email protected] | (559) 490-3422 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 www.thebusinessjournal.com 3 THE FOCUS: REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORECAST Kings County: Fast times expected in 2018, beyond DONALD A.