Defective Household Products

October 26, 2016

More Concerns over Galaxy Note 7 Recalls and Transparency

By now, most people have heard that Samsung’s release of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone did not exactly go as planned. Problems started when users were reporting their phones were spontaneously bursting into flames or completely exploding. As if this was not bad enough, there were reports of them exploding on airplanes, which caused even more concern. The company has claimed there was a problem with the batteries that were made by a third party and has agreed to recall all of the phones sold to consumers to replace them with a device that features a safe battery.

According to a recent news article from NPR, there are now more questions being raised about not only the safety of these products, but also in the transparency of the recall process – or more accurately, the lack of transparency. The problem is the company claimed the issue was not the device itself, which Samsung manufactured, but rather with the batteries, made by a third party. However, that seems to not be the case, considering Samsung has switched battery suppliers and the combustion continues. Continue reading

September 4, 2016

Hosford v. BRK Brands, Inc.: Products Liability Cases

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In Hosford v. BRK Brands, Inc., a case from the Alabama Supreme Court, a four-year-old girl was killed in fire in her family’s mobile home in May 2011. Her mother and other surviving family members filed a personal injury lawsuit with a wrongful death claim against the maker of the two smoke detectors that were installed in the home at the time of her tragic death.

They made various claims that are common in products liability cases, such as failure to warn, negligence and claims of wantonness. Failure to warn of a known danger is one of the more common claims, because it is an allegation the maker of a particular product was aware or should have been aware of a certain type of danger when the product was being used for its intended purpose and failed to warn the plaintiff of that potential danger. Continue reading

April 23, 2016

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Old Spice Makers for Serious Rash

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There are many different brands of deodorant on the market, and some work better for some people than others. Most have tried a product that caused a little bit of irritation or a minor rash at some point in their lives, but it is rarely a very serious issue. However, according to a recent news feature from WEARTV, this is not always the case.

Consumers have filed a class action lawsuit against Proctor & Gamble, which is the maker of Old Spice deodorant. According to the complaint filed in federal court, thousands of users of P&G products have suffered chemical burns and serious rashes that literally cause the skin to fall off victims’ armpits after using the product. Continue reading

April 18, 2016

Lead Poisoning and Learning Disabilities

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

We have been hearing a lot about led poisoning in connection with the environmental disaster and public health crisis in Flint, Michigan as result of the poisoned water supply that has been discovered. However, Flint is not the only place where lead is a problem. In some cases, lead poisoning can be a result of contaminated water, and in other cases, it can be the result of a defective or dangerous product that contains lead or lead-based paint.

While lead poisoning can harm individuals of any age, children are often the most a risk. The reason for this is because the lead particles enter a patient’s bloodstream at a young age when the brain and nervous system is still being developed, and this can result in serious developmental disorders and learning disorders. A recent article from The Atlantic deals with this issue. In that article, the lead poisoning is a result of a potential case of widespread lead contamination in Newark, New Jersey schools. Continue reading

April 15, 2016

Dehumidifier Fires and Burn Risk Prompt Record $15.45M Penalty Against Manufacturer

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The China-based Gree Electric Appliances Inc. and its partners have agreed to pay a $15.45 million civil penalty after U.S. regulators alleged the company’s dehumidifiers posed a fire and burn risk to consumers and the company failed to warn them or take immediate action to remedy the problem.

Gree manufactured and sold some 2.5 million dehumidifiers at big name stores throughout the country under more than a dozen different brand names. But when the company learned that its units were posting a fire and burn risk, it failed consumers and regulators on several fronts. Among those:

The company intentionally failed to report a defect and the unreasonable risk of severe injury to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) right away within 24 hours as required under federal law.
The company intentionally misrepresented key facts to investigators with CPSC as they were delving into the reported issues.
The company sold these products indicating they were UL safety certified, despite the fact it was known these products did not meet the basic UL flammability standards.

The devices were sold under highly-recognized brand names, such as GE, Kenmore, Frigidaire and Soleus Air. Continue reading

March 28, 2016

Massive Nestle Recall Due to Fears Frozen Food Contains Glass

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

While the Nestle Corporation is most well known for its many sweets – chocolate and candy products like a Nestle Crunch bar – the company is also major producer of other food items. Many of these goods are sold in the freezer aisle, including DiGiorno pizzas, Stouffer’s frozen dinners and Lean Cuisine frozen meals.

At any given time, there are millions of units of frozen food manufactured by Nestle in supermarkets across the country. According to a recent news feature from AOL, the company has issued a massive recall that is affecting around 3 million units of product all containing spinach. This is not the first recall involving spinach, but normally a spinach recall involves the fear of listeria or E. coli bacteria. Continue reading

December 24, 2015

Are Boston Injured Victims Bringing Enough Product Liability Claims?

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Tort reform advocates argue Americans are too litigious and aim for limitations on the rights of consumers to sue. Clauses built into consumer product purchase agreements limiting class action rights and mandating arbitration are some of many ways in which companies aim to limit the litigation they are exposed to. News stories are also released purporting to show frivolous lawsuits in order to raise suspicions about the legitimacy of claims based on product defects- even though the facts often show these lawsuits are not actually frivolous at all.

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is fighting back against the misconceptions that are being pushed by big business. In a recent interview published in Parade Magazine, Nader argued there are actually not enough cases being brought to hold manufacturers accountable when they cause harm to the public.

Injured Victims are Not Bringing Enough Product Liability Lawsuits

December 21, 2015

Could New Regulations Address Dangerous Chemicals in Cosmetics?

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Cosmetics and skin care products are some of the most widely purchased products within the United States. Consumers spend as much as $50 billion every single year on beauty products. Unfortunately, it turns out that some of the skin care and cosmetic products on the market could actually contain chemicals that are very harmful to health.

Although the skin care and cosmetics market are largely unregulated, manufacturers still have basic obligations to make sure their products are reasonably safe and to provide warnings about risks to users. Cosmetics manufacturers who fail to test products for safety and alert customers to dangers may find themselves being sued if products make people sick. Even the threat of litigation, however, does not appear to deter manufacturers from continuing to sell products that could cause harm. Now, lawmakers are finally considering taking legal action aimed at protecting people from the risks of their skin care and beauty products.

November 30, 2015

Choosing Safe Toys this Holiday Season – Prevent Child Injures

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The day after Thanksgiving officially kicks of the Christmas shopping season, as most people are well aware. This is supposedly the first day the retailers’ books go from red to black in terms of profit and losses, hence the name Black Friday. Following Black Friday, there is a Small Business Saturday, in which shoppers are encouraged to frequent small businesses when buying gifts, and there is, of course, Cyber Monday for internet sales of holiday gifts. In other words, there will no shortage of ways to get discounts, and there will be a lot of crazed shoppers camped outside of their favorite stores to get the best deals of the season.

One of the most popular items will be whatever the media has chosen to be the big kids gift of the season. While there is nothing wrong with rushing out and grabbing the hottest new kids toys, it is important consider safety and avoid certain toys, like those that present choking hazards with small children. Continue reading

November 23, 2015

Report: 355,000 Cans of SpagehettiOs Recalled

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

When we think of food poisoning and product recalls, were are normally thinking of a bacteria or virus capable of making a consumer sick. This was the case with the recent ice cream recalls in which listeria was found in many of the ice cream products shipped to stores across the county. We also saw one recent case where the maker of children’s applesauce recalled its product, because safety inspectors discovered mold growing in some of their production units. However, in that case, it should be noted that the mold was allegedly not harmful to humans, but was considered a problem nonetheless, which is why the company voluntarily recalled their applesauce packets.

However, biological contamination is not the only problem that could cause a food product to be recalled. According to a recent news feature from Fortune, Campbell’s is recalled around 355,000 cans of SpagehettiOs due to safety concerns. In this case it is not a foodborne illness that is causing problems, but rather the discovery of what the company is calling a potential choking hazard, as there have been pieces of red plastic in some cans. Continue reading