The family of 6-year-old Lucy Morgan has filed a wrongful-death and product-liability lawsuit against Franklin Sports after the New Jersey girl was fatally injured by a badminton racket that came apart during a family vacation in Maine. Lucy was watching her siblings play badminton outside a rental home in Limerick on June 1, 2024, when the head and metal shaft of a racket being swung by her brother separated from the handle and flew through the air. The exposed metal stem struck Lucy in the temple and penetrated her skull. She died from her injuries four days later. The lawsuit, filed in York County Superior Court in August 2026, alleges that the racket was defectively designed and manufactured, that Franklin Sports failed to provide adequate warnings, and that the company had notice of a similar prior accident involving another child. Franklin Sports says it is reviewing the circumstances but has declined to address the specific allegations while the litigation is pending. [Maine Public] [Portland Press Herald] [Law & Crime]
Who Was Lucy Morgan?
Lucy Morgan was a 6-year-old girl from New Jersey. She lived with her family in the Stockholm area of Sussex County and was vacationing in Maine when the accident occurred. [News 12 New Jersey] [Portland Press Herald]
Her father, Jesse Morgan, is a pastor at Green Pond Bible Chapel in Rockaway, New Jersey. The family had traveled to Maine for a vacation when Lucy was injured. [WBAL]
The Family Was Vacationing In Limerick, Maine
The Morgans were staying at a lake house in Limerick on June 1, 2024. It was the final day of their vacation. [Berman & Simmons]
Lucy’s older siblings were playing badminton in the front yard. Lucy and a younger brother were standing nearby watching the game. [Berman & Simmons] [Maine Public]
The Badminton Racket Comes Apart
The lawsuit says Lucy’s brother swung a Franklin Sports badminton racket toward the shuttlecock. During the swing, the racket’s head and metal neck allegedly separated from the handle. [Law & Crime]
The detached section became a projectile. The metal shaft flew through the air toward Lucy. [Berman & Simmons]
The exposed metal stem struck Lucy in the temple and entered her skull. [Maine Public] [Portland Press Herald]
Lucy Suffers A Catastrophic Brain Injury
Lucy suffered a penetrating brain injury. Her parents heard screaming and rushed to her after the accident. [Berman & Simmons]
She was first taken to Southern Maine Health Care in Sanford. She was then transported by helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland. [Portland Press Herald]
Doctors performed emergency treatment, but Lucy died on June 5, four days after the accident. [Boston Globe] [Maine Public]
Family Files Wrongful-Death Lawsuit Against Franklin Sports
Lucy’s family filed suit against Franklin Sports in York County Superior Court in August 2026. Maine law firm Berman & Simmons represents the family. [Maine Public] [Berman & Simmons]
The complaint includes claims for wrongful death and product liability. It also alleges negligence, strict liability, negligent infliction of emotional distress and breaches of express and implied warranties. [Law & Crime]
The suit also includes a claim under Maine’s survival statute. [Law & Crime]
Family Says The Racket Was Defective And Unreasonably Dangerous
The complaint alleges that the Franklin Sports racket was defectively designed or manufactured. The family argues that it should not have separated during ordinary play. [Boston Globe]
The lawsuit says the handle and metal shaft were not secured strongly enough to prevent separation. [Law & Crime]
Lawsuit Blames The Adhesive
The Morgan family specifically alleges that the adhesive connecting the metal stem to the handle was defective. [Law & Crime]
The complaint says the adhesive was insufficient to keep the shaft attached during normal use. [Law & Crime]
Racket Allegedly Lacked A Backup Safety Restraint
The lawsuit says the racket had no secondary restraint connecting the shaft to the handle. The family argues that an additional mechanical safeguard could have prevented the metal section from flying away if the adhesive failed. [Law & Crime]
The Morgan family’s attorneys say badminton rackets can be designed so that this kind of separation does not occur. Attorney Travis Brennan told News 12 New Jersey that there are manufacturing methods that can prevent such failures. [News 12 New Jersey]
Lawsuit Says Franklin Failed To Warn Customers
The complaint also alleges Franklin Sports did not adequately warn users that the metal stem could separate from the handle. [Maine Public]
The family says customers were not warned about possible adhesive deterioration or the danger of the metal shaft becoming a projectile during ordinary use. [Law & Crime]
Attorneys Point To A Similar 2012 Accident
The family’s lawyers say Franklin Sports had previously dealt with a similar badminton-racket accident involving another child. [Portland Press Herald]
The earlier incident occurred in New York in 2012. According to the Portland Press Herald, a boy suffered a permanent injury when a similar badminton racket broke and struck him in the forehead. [Portland Press Herald]
Franklin Sports reached a settlement with that family. [Portland Press Herald]
The Morgan family’s attorneys argue that the earlier incident should have alerted Franklin Sports to the risk of racket separation. [Portland Press Herald]
Family Seeks Compensatory And Punitive Damages
The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages connected to Lucy’s death. Requested categories include funeral expenses, financial losses and damages associated with the family’s emotional distress. [Maine Public]
The complaint also seeks compensation for the loss of Lucy’s comfort, society and companionship. [Independent]
The family is also seeking punitive damages. [Maine Public]
No fixed total dollar amount has been publicly specified. [Maine Public]
Lucy’s Siblings Are Included In The Claims
Three of Lucy’s siblings witnessed the accident. [Portland Press Herald]
The lawsuit seeks damages for emotional distress suffered by members of the Morgan family who witnessed what happened or rushed to Lucy immediately afterward. [Portland Press Herald]
Franklin Sports Responds
Franklin Sports expressed sympathy to Lucy’s family after the lawsuit became public. The company said its thoughts were with the Morgans and everyone affected by the accident. [Independent]
Franklin said it could not comment on the lawsuit’s specific allegations while litigation was pending. [Independent]
The company said it takes product-safety concerns seriously and is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the accident. [Law & Crime]
Family Says Lawsuit Is Intended To Prevent Another Accident
Attorneys Travis Brennan and Charles Hehmeyer said the family wants changes that would prevent another child from being injured by a similar product failure. [Berman & Simmons]
Brennan said the family wants badminton rackets manufactured in a way that prevents the metal shaft from separating and becoming a dangerous projectile. [Berman & Simmons]
The lawsuit was filed more than two years after Lucy’s death and will require a Maine court to evaluate the family’s allegations about the racket’s design, manufacture, warnings and Franklin Sports’ prior knowledge of similar failures. [Maine Public] [Portland Press Herald]
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.