Product Liability Lawyer Blog

December 21, 2015

Could New Regulations Address Dangerous Chemicals in Cosmetics?

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.

December 18, 2015

Majority of Product Recalls are Household Goods

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Products are recalled because they present a danger to their users. Ideally, manufacturers will take action to recall products before someone actually gets hurt. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. That means every time a product is released which subsequently turns out to be dangerous, there is a significant risk someone will be hurt or killed before the manufacturer identifies the issues and institutes a recall.

Individual consumers especially, need to be concerned about the significant dangers associated with defective products because a new report reveals the vast majority of recalled goods are household products used by individuals and families.

December 15, 2015

Defective Holiday Decorations Can Lead to House Fires

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Decorating your home for the holidays can be a joyful experience. EFSI reports as many as 86 percent of Americans do at least some home decorating as a part of their holiday celebrations.

Unfortunately, decorative products can sometimes be poorly designed or badly made and can turn into a major hazard. It is imperative homeowners, renters, and commercial property owners understand risks associated with holiday décor so they can look for safe products and avoid potentially causing serious injuries to themselves or others. Continue reading

December 8, 2015

Boston Injuries Due to Defective Products This Holiday Season

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The holiday season is a time when many new products come into the home. From Christmas décor to gifts that you purchase for loved ones, dozens of new items are likely to begin receiving regular use at this time of year. Unfortunately, when you bring in these new products, there is a risk that you could inadvertently end up bringing in an item that turns out to be dangerous.

Manufacturers have an obligation to make sure that all products released to consumers are reasonably safe and function as the manufacturer promised they would. Sometimes, however, inadequate testing, poor design, or other manufacturer failures mean products end up on shelves despite the fact the products are harmful.

Manufacturers can be held strictly liable for any injuries resulting from product defects, regardless of negligence. Still, consumers want to avoid injuries and fatalities due to defective products so a holiday gift does not lead to tragedy. This means making sure you shop carefully and keep up-to-date on recalls so you do not endanger yourself or your loved ones.

December 4, 2015

Town Destroys Veteran’s House while He Gets Total Knee Replacement Surgery

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In a rather disturbing series of events, as described in a recent article from Syracuse.com, a United States Navy veteran left his Long Island home to go to Florida, so he could undergo a total knee replacement operation. He was 69 years old at the time of his operation.

He chose to go to Florida because he had a friend there who could help during what he expected to be a somewhat lengthy recovery period. While he was gone, the town had his house demolished with all of this property still inside. Continue reading

December 1, 2015

Jury Awards $11 Million to Defective Hip Implant Victim in Bellwether Trial

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Jurors overseeing the bellwether case involving Wright Medical’s Conserve Plus metal-on-metal hip implant in a federal case in Georgia have decided in favor of plaintiff for $11 million. That award, granted to a retired ski instructor, allows for $1 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages.

The former is intended to compensate the victims for actual losses, while the latter is supposed to punish defendant for an egregious violation.

This was an important decision because it was the first trial in a multi-district litigation pending before the Atlanta-based court. There are 440 other cases similar to this one pending before U.S. District Judge Bill Duffey. In addition to those, there are hundreds more pending against the same defendant in a state court in California. Continue reading

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 27, 2015

Popular “Hoverboards” May Be Dangerous

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Every year, around the holiday season, a new product will hit the market, and it becomes a must-have for families across the county. This year, many think the so-called “hoverboard” will be that product.

First, it should be noted, these hoverboards do not hover by any stretch of the imagination. Most people associate the hoverboard with the fictional product Marty McFly used in Back to the Future II. This was the pink skateboard without wheels manufactured by Mattel in the movie. It allowed him to hover over the ground and ride on any surface other than water. Continue reading

November 25, 2015

New Total Knee Replacement Technology Helps Surgeons and Patients Alike

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A total knee replacement surgery has become among the most common operations in the United States. However, despite the vast number of total knee replacement surgeries performed each year, success and failure still depends on whether a surgeon can get a proper fit for the artificial knee device, according to a recent article from ABC News.

However, a new surgical device being used in U.S. hospitals is helping doctors get a more precise fit for artificial knee implants. The new device is known as Verasense. It is one component of the system that is designed to help orthopedic surgeons while preforming total knee replacement surgery. 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