product liability

May 18, 2017

Dangerous BBQ Grills Could Cause Serious Injury in Summer Months

Summer is a time for cookouts on the grill. Unfortunately, a fun outdoor barbecue could quickly turn into a devastating disaster if something goes wrong with a grill. Grills could be dangerous not only while in use, but also while simply being stored near your home. Explosions and serious burns can occur if a grill malfunctions, and sometimes injuries from malfunctioning grills are fatal.

If you or a loved one suffers an injury due to any type of problem with a grill that is being used, the manufacturer, distributors and others involved with the production or sale of the grill can be held legally liable for damages. A Boston product liability lawyer can assist victims of grilling injuries in pursuing a claim for compensation by proving they were hurt as a direct result of a problem with a grill they were utilizing.

Malfunctioning Grills Present a Big Risk at BBQ

May 15, 2017

$110 Million Awarded in Talcum Powder Case

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news article from ABA Journal, a jury has just awarded a plaintiff $110 million in a talcum powder lawsuit alleging product liability. The claim was that defendant (Johnson & Johnson) manufactured talcum powder that caused her to develop ovarian cancer. Not only did the jury find this to be true by a clear preponderance of the evidence, they awarded her the largest verdict ever in a talcum powder products liability case.

While this is the largest talcum powder verdict by a long shot, it is not the only large verdict. There have been verdicts of $55 million, $70 million and $72 million in other recent cases. Continue reading

April 10, 2017

Skin Medication Accutane Linked to Birth Defects, Bowel Disease

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A recent case from the Supreme Court of New Jersey involved a products liability action filed against the major pharmaceutical maker that is now known as Roche in connection with its Accutane drug. Accutane is the brand name for the drug isotretinoin. The drug was originally developed by Hoffmann-La Roche labs and was used to treat a severe skin condition known as nodular acne. It was also used in some cases to treat a form of skin cancer.

While the drug was effective at treating acne, it had some serious side effects associated with it. In some cases, it would lead to severe birth defects. For this reason, women taking the drug had to be counseled against becoming pregnant while taking it, and also needed to either abstain from sex entirely or use what were considered effective contraceptives. Condoms were not considered sufficient when not used in conjunction with another method of birth control. For this reason, Accutane is considered a teratogen, meaning it can cause birth defects. Continue reading

March 7, 2017

New Infant Carrier Standard Aims to Prevent Baby Injuries

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

With the goal of helping to reduce child injuries and deaths, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recently rubber-stamped updated federal safety guidelines for infant carriers, specifically of the sling variety. This mandatory standard applies to those sling carriers caregivers wear to transport a single infant or toddler, usually up to 35 pounds, though some go up to 50 pounds.

The designs can range from hammock-like products that are mostly unstructured and hang from the caregiver’s body to a wrap of fabric that girds around the adult’s body. The caregiver wears the carrier, and once the child is inside, he or she is supported by either one or both shoulders of the adult. The carrier can be used either in front or in back, either with the child facing away or toward the adult, or else reclined in the front.

Updated federal safety standards are based on the most recently updated standard voluntarily adopted by the industry and outlined by ASTM International. However, there is an additional requirement regarding label attachments. ASTM F2907-15 is the standard, and it establishes the performance requirements, testing methods and manufacturing requirements that must be met in order to ensure that use of these sling carriers is safe. Continue reading

March 4, 2017

Product Recall After Metal Fragments Found in Smokeless Tobacco

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Some products are dangerous even when manufactured correctly. For example, when a mining company buys a stick of dynamite and a blasting cap, there is no question that this product is capable of exploding and causing serious damage or loss of life, even when used correctly. If the product wasn’t capable of exploding, it would not be of any value to the mining company, so they wouldn’t buy it.

The same could be said about a chainsaw. While it won’t explode if manufactured correctly, it is definitely dangerous and capable of inflicting serious injury or death. If it wasn’t, it would not be able to make quick work of a log or tree as it was designed to do. In other words, some products are inherently dangerous, and as long as it was not unreasonably dangerous, defectively designed, or the company did not adequately warn consumers of the proper way to the use the item safely, the company may not be liable for any personal injuries. Continue reading

February 12, 2017

New Hip Replacement Techniques Improve Patient Outcomes

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Hip replacement surgery has become one of the most often performed elective surgical procedures in the United States. This involves the total replacement of the patient’s natural, but damaged hip joint, which an artificial hip implant manufactured by a medical device firm. While there are many names for the different firms, these days, they are often subsidiaries of a handful of major pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers.

A recent news article from ABC 6, takes a look at how a modern hip replacement is performed and what a patient can expect during his or her recovery. As discussed in the article, in the 1990s, having a total hip replacement involved a having an open incision followed by a stay in the hospital of two weeks or more and then being placed in a lengthy rehabilitation program. There was a lot of time spent in rehabilitation, and this was not only a long, but also a painful process. Continue reading

January 24, 2017

Samsung Uses New Measures to Attain Recall Compliance

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

For quite some time, it has been known that the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Smartphones have defective batteries and other components that can result in the devices exploding. This can cause serious personal injury and has caused users to be severely burned. These phones are also not allowed on airplanes, since an explosion on a plane could be catastrophic for hundreds of passengers. Not only can they not be taken as carry on, they cannot be checked in baggage, even if they are powered down. The reason for this is because the battery can explode even when the phone is not on or being operated.

While the company has voluntarily agreed to recall the device and provide users with a refund, for whatever reason, some users are not willing to return the defective smartphones. It seems they would rather run the risk of the phone exploding or bursting into flames in a user’s pocket and are not returning them to Samsung. Continue reading

September 25, 2016

Exploding Cell Phones Leads to Recall Confusion

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news feature from CNN Money, there is significant confusion when it comes to the recent recall of Galaxy Note 7 smart phones manufactured by Samsung after some of the models exploded. The reason for the confusion in part is because there are two different suppliers of batteries, and the company has chosen not to call this a recall, but rather a return and replacement program. While the company may wish to use this more innocuous sounding description, federal regulators have chosen to stick with the more familiar name, calling it a defective product recall.

However, before we look at the more confusing aspects of this recall, lets look at what we do know. We know that these smart phones that retail for over $900 are bursting into flames and basically exploding while people are holding them. The company says that the problem only occurs while the phones are charging, but since many people charge their phones while using them to talk, text, and use other apps, this poses a significant danger. Continue reading

September 8, 2016

McDonald’s Recalls Millions of Fitness Bands in Happy Meals

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

These days, McDonald’s have been seeing a decline in profits as more are turning to healthier food options for themselves and their families. This is not say the company and its competitors are not making a ton of money, but their numbers are not as good as they were a decade ago.

For this reason, the company has been working towards providing healthier options while still keeping the old standards. To some extent it has been working. One of the thing they were doing to make parents feel the restaurant chain can promote a healthier lifestyle for children despite their old image problem, is to include a fitness band in Happy Meals. These are essentially a very cheap version of the Fitbit and other popular fitness watches that have flooded the market in the past few years. Continue reading

August 25, 2016

Applebaum v. Target Corp: Products Liability Cases

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In Applebaum v. Target Corp, plaintiff was injured while riding a bicycle she purchased at defendant’s big box retail store. She claimed the reason she was injured was because of a defective brake on the bike that was resold to her after another customer had returned the item. She claims the bike was returned to the store because of the defective brake, negligently repaired, and then resold to her, thus causing her to suffer a personal injury.

According to court records from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, this case deals with the issue of whether plaintiff was injured while riding her bicycle due to a defective bicycle or due to operator error. Continue reading