MONTGOMERY, Ala. (BRAIN) — A woman who filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Rad Power Bikes and authorized dealer The Cycle Joint Inc. has voluntarily dismissed action against the retailer.
The Notice of Voluntary Dismissal without prejudice was filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama Northern Division.
Shannon Stephens filed the lawsuit on April 28. It asks for a jury trial and alleges that on Jan. 3, 2025, the e-bike caught fire at the home in Andalusia, Alabama, in the early morning hours while the couple was asleep. While Shannon was injured, she escaped but husband Dr. Keith Stephens did not.
Located in Pensacola, Florida, The Cycle Joint Inc. was named as a defendant because it assembled the e-bike. The shop serves customers in the Alabama-Florida border region.
According to the lawsuit, the e-bike was defective, and "in its aggressive push for a greater share of the e-bike market, Rad Power Bikes knowingly released into the stream of commerce a product powered by unstable lithium-ion battery technology known to trigger thermal runaway events."
The lawsuit officially lists as a defendant New Summit Collective Inc., which was Rad Power's parent company before the brand was acquired by Life Electric Vehicles Holdings Inc.in March through bankruptcy proceedings.
