Chinese drywall was apparently used in more than 600 New Orleans homes built by nonprofits, such as Habitat for Humanity, following Hurricane Katrina. That tally includes about half of the 72 single-family homes and fives duplexes in the "Musician's Village," one of Habitat's most successful post-Katrina rebuilding projects.
Hurricane Katrina was a major factor in the development of the Chinese drywall crisis. Te massive rebuilding that followed the 2005 storm, along with the housing boom that led to the large-scale importation of Chinese wallboard. Of the 2,702 Chinese drywall that complaints made to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), more than 500 originated with Louisiana homeowners. Many of the homes in the state rebuilt after Katrina, especially in and around New Orleans, contain Chinese drywall.
According to a report on HeraldTribune.com, Habitat for Humanity and charities it supplied built as many as 600 homes using wallboard made by Taishan Gypsum Co., a company controlled by the Chinese government. In fact, starting in early 2007, a stockpile of Taishan drywall - 120,000 sheets - became Habitat's main source of wallboard, and the organization even continued using the Taishan product until last month. It only stopped after it received a form letter from the CPSC in November stating that Chinese drywall not to be moved or sold without prior notification to the federal government.
Taishan has been accused of being a major culprit in the Chinese drywall disaster. In fact, lawsuits against Taishan will be among the first to go to trial next month in the Chinese drywall multi-district litigation issued a default judgement against Taishan for failing to respond to lawsuits.
Officials with Habitat in New Orleans insist that the Taishan drywall it used has not caused any problems, and told HeraldTribune.com that tests it conducted in March proved the wallboard did not contain any of the sulfur compounds linked to corrosion and other problems. But according to the HeraldTribune.com report, Habitat only tested a few indoor air samples, not the actual drywall, to reach that conclusion. The CPSC and other government agencies investigating the drywall problems have already said that such tests likely won't detect tainted wallboard.
A New Orleans Habitat official told HeralTribune.com that the organization has only received 2 complaints about drywall problems, but neither checked out. One home was built too early, and did not contain Taishan drywall, while the other did not have a common problems. The official said that if the Taishan drywall was causing problems in homes, "we think we would have heard something from our families by now." Unfortunately, it is well known that corrosion, odors and other problems with Chinese drywall often don't show up until 12 to 24, so its really too early to say that all homes built with Habitat's Taishan drywall are safe.
Despite the fact that it stopped using the Taishan drywall, Habitats official in New Orleans still maintain the organization's stockpile was safe. According to HeraldTribune.com, Habitat has not conducted any targeted inspections of the homes it built to look for corrosion, and has no contingency plan in place should any corrosion problems surface.
This article was provided by NewsInferno.com
http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/17743#more-17743
Defective products are millions of people a year and cause millions of dollars of damage. In New Orleans, there is a growing trend of property damage and health concerns caused by a batch of contaminated drywall used to build and repair homes after Hurricane Katrina. If someone you know has been affected by a defective product of some kind, please don't hesitate to call Murphy Law Firm at 225-928-8800 or visit our website below concerning defective products.
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
Showing posts with label defective product. Show all posts
Showing posts with label defective product. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Recall of 2.1 million is biggest for cribs yet: Regulators get reports of four infant suffocations
WASHINGTON - The head of the Consumer Product Safety Commision conceded Tuesday the agency "hasn't been acting as quickly as it should" on crib safety problems.
Interviewed on morning news shows in the wake of the largest-ever recall of cribs, Chairman Inez Tenenbaum pledged that the CPSC would "firmly but fairly" enforce a law Congress passed last year giving regulators greater authority to police the industry.
More than 2.1 million drop-side cribs by Stork Craft Manufacturing of Canada are being recalled following the reports of four infant suffocations. The CPSC said the recall involves 1.2 million cribs in the United States and almost 1 million in Canada, where Stork Craft is based. Sales of the cribs being recalled go back to 1993 and nearly 150,000 of the cribs carry the Fisher-Price logo.
The agency said the drop-side cribs have a side that moves up and down to allow parents to lift children from the cribs more easily. It also said there have been 110 incidents of drop-sides detaching form the cribs,
Asked Tuesday whether people should abandon such cribs, Tenenbaum said she recommends that. And she said consumers also could order plastic kits from the manufacturer to immobilize crib sides.
"The commission will write regulations in the next few months and we will look at this issue about drop-sides," Tenenbaum said. "But I don't think the drop-sides will be part of cribs in the future."
The Stork Craft cribs have had problems with their hardware, which can break, deform or become missing after years. CPSC said there can also be problems with assembly mistakes by the crib owner. These problems can cause the drop-sides to detach, creating a dangerous space between the drop-side and the crib mattress, where the child can become trapped.
The cribs, which were manufactured and distributed between January 1993 and October 2009, were sold at major retailers including BJ's Wholesale Club, Sears and Wal-Mart stores and online through Target and Costco. They sold for between $100 and $400, and were made in Canada, China and Indonesia.
Calls to Stork Craft were not immediately returned.
This is the second big recall this year for the company. It recalled about 500,000 cribs in January because of problems with the metal brackets that supports the mattress. Some of the models in the earlier recall were also part of Monday's announcement, CPSC said.
Tenenbaum was asked why federal regulators hadn't stepped in sooner.
"We have just not been acting as quickly as we should have at the Consumer Product Safety Commission on these types of incidents," she replied. "I have just been appointed a few months ago to chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and this case came in front of me just a few weeks ago."
Consumer advocates have complained for years about the drop-side cribs. More than 5 million of them have been recalled over the past two years alone - recalls that were associated with the deaths of a dozen young children.
ASTM International, an organization that sets voluntary industry safety standards for everything from toys to the steel used in commercial building, approved a new standard last week that requires four immovable, or fixed, sides for full-size cribs - essentially eliminating the manufacture of drop-side cribs.
CPSC is also considering new rules for making cribs safer and could adopt the ASTM voluntary standard as a mandatory one, outright banning the cribs.
Nancy Cowles, executive director of Chicago-based Kids In Danger, said the agency must include more rigorous testing for crib durability. "Parents should be able to trust that their child is safe in their crib," said Cowles.
Toys"R"Us started phasing out drop-side cribs earlier this year and will no longer carry them next month
In the Stork Craft recall, the manufacture date, model number, crib name, country of origin, and the firm's name, address and contact information are located on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board. The firm's insignia "storkcraft baby" or "storkling" is inscribed on the drop-side teething rail of some cribs.
This article was written by Jennifer C. Kerr of the Associated Press
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/moms/6736037.html
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design detects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. If you or someone you know have been injuried as a result of defective product, please don't hesitate to call our office at 225-928-8800. Don't Be A Victim Twice.
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
Interviewed on morning news shows in the wake of the largest-ever recall of cribs, Chairman Inez Tenenbaum pledged that the CPSC would "firmly but fairly" enforce a law Congress passed last year giving regulators greater authority to police the industry.
More than 2.1 million drop-side cribs by Stork Craft Manufacturing of Canada are being recalled following the reports of four infant suffocations. The CPSC said the recall involves 1.2 million cribs in the United States and almost 1 million in Canada, where Stork Craft is based. Sales of the cribs being recalled go back to 1993 and nearly 150,000 of the cribs carry the Fisher-Price logo.
The agency said the drop-side cribs have a side that moves up and down to allow parents to lift children from the cribs more easily. It also said there have been 110 incidents of drop-sides detaching form the cribs,
Asked Tuesday whether people should abandon such cribs, Tenenbaum said she recommends that. And she said consumers also could order plastic kits from the manufacturer to immobilize crib sides.
"The commission will write regulations in the next few months and we will look at this issue about drop-sides," Tenenbaum said. "But I don't think the drop-sides will be part of cribs in the future."
The Stork Craft cribs have had problems with their hardware, which can break, deform or become missing after years. CPSC said there can also be problems with assembly mistakes by the crib owner. These problems can cause the drop-sides to detach, creating a dangerous space between the drop-side and the crib mattress, where the child can become trapped.
The cribs, which were manufactured and distributed between January 1993 and October 2009, were sold at major retailers including BJ's Wholesale Club, Sears and Wal-Mart stores and online through Target and Costco. They sold for between $100 and $400, and were made in Canada, China and Indonesia.
Calls to Stork Craft were not immediately returned.
This is the second big recall this year for the company. It recalled about 500,000 cribs in January because of problems with the metal brackets that supports the mattress. Some of the models in the earlier recall were also part of Monday's announcement, CPSC said.
Tenenbaum was asked why federal regulators hadn't stepped in sooner.
"We have just not been acting as quickly as we should have at the Consumer Product Safety Commission on these types of incidents," she replied. "I have just been appointed a few months ago to chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and this case came in front of me just a few weeks ago."
Consumer advocates have complained for years about the drop-side cribs. More than 5 million of them have been recalled over the past two years alone - recalls that were associated with the deaths of a dozen young children.
ASTM International, an organization that sets voluntary industry safety standards for everything from toys to the steel used in commercial building, approved a new standard last week that requires four immovable, or fixed, sides for full-size cribs - essentially eliminating the manufacture of drop-side cribs.
CPSC is also considering new rules for making cribs safer and could adopt the ASTM voluntary standard as a mandatory one, outright banning the cribs.
Nancy Cowles, executive director of Chicago-based Kids In Danger, said the agency must include more rigorous testing for crib durability. "Parents should be able to trust that their child is safe in their crib," said Cowles.
Toys"R"Us started phasing out drop-side cribs earlier this year and will no longer carry them next month
In the Stork Craft recall, the manufacture date, model number, crib name, country of origin, and the firm's name, address and contact information are located on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board. The firm's insignia "storkcraft baby" or "storkling" is inscribed on the drop-side teething rail of some cribs.
This article was written by Jennifer C. Kerr of the Associated Press
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/moms/6736037.html
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design detects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. If you or someone you know have been injuried as a result of defective product, please don't hesitate to call our office at 225-928-8800. Don't Be A Victim Twice.
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Driving on Danger: Your new tires may not be new after all
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - Two lawsuits filed in Shelby County Circuit Court reveal a secret about the sale of new tires in the Mid-South. The secret is some new tires aren't new at all.
Both lawsuits center on a single-car accident that happened in August 2007 in Crittenden County, AR. According to the complaints, Teresa Taylor was driving her 1997 Mercury Mountaineer westbound on Interstate 40 just west of West Memphis, AR. Taylor's attorneys allege the tread on her rear driver's side tire, which was bought NEW from a Whitehaven Sears Auto Center just a year before, simply peeled off. Taylor lost control, causing her SUV to skid across the median, flip, and rolled over.
The accident killed her 15-year-old cousin, Tevin Pettis, one of her passengers. "I didn't run over anything," says Taylor. "I didn't hit anybody, but I just did not know what caused the accident." While investigating the accident, attorneys discovered a U.S. Department of Transportation code on the tire with the four digits, 2102. The attorneys say those numbers indicate the tire was manufactured in 2002. That means it sat on a shelf for FOUR YEARS before it was sold AS NEW to Taylor in 2006.
"A tire should not sit on the shelf two or three years before it is put into service or sold to someone," says Julian Bolton, a Memphis attorney who represents Pettis' mother. "They should not be on sale as 'new' tires." Michael Dorr, manager of Cordova's Gateway Tire & Service Center, showed how to decipher the DOT code etched on every tire. He says the first two digits are the WEEK it was made, while the last two digits are the YEAR. That means the tire that may have caused Taylor's accident, "2102," was manufactured in the 21st week of 2002. Dorr says tires with 3-digit DOT codes were made before the year 2000. So a tire coded "189" would have been manufactured the 18th week of 1999. "Once you know what you're looking for, it's something simple," says Dorr. "I don't see anything misleading there."
The problem is most tire manufacturers etch the code on the INSIDE WALL of the tire. If the tire is already on a vehicle, someone has to get under the car to inspect the code. "It is a hidden disclosure, if you will," says Memphis attorney Jeff Rosenblum, an expert in wrongful death cases who has assisted counsel in aging tire litigation. "And that's what's deceptive. That's what's confusing to the consumer." Rosenblum says the chemical process of constructing a passenger tire, called vulcanization, actually cooks the rubber and steel together, giving it elasticity and strength. After a while, he says, that process starts to decompose, even if the tire has never hit the road. "It may look brand, spanking new, and the consumer has no way of knowing that particular tire could be deadly," he says.
Bolton says the tire that failed in Taylor's accident was inspected twice, once by the Sears in Whitehaven a year before the accident and again 11 days before the accident by a Firestone service center in Raleigh. "This car was serviced and tires rotated, and no one noticed that the tires were aging," Bolton says. Larry Costello, communications director for Sears Holding Corporation, says the company would not comment on pending litigation. Dan MacDonald, executive director of communications for Firestone's parent company Bridgestone Americas, says Bridgestone-Firestone's guideline is to inspect all tires by five years of age and replace all tires 10 years old or older. "We believe strongly that Firestone acted totally appropriately in (Taylor's) case, and we believe that this case is without merit," says MacDonald.
As early as 1990, Volkswagen added a warning to its vehicles' owners' manuals. It acknowledged that tires do deteriorate with age, and since then, it has recommended replacing them after SIX years. Ford and Chrysler followed suit, also advocating a six-year shelf life for passenger tires. However, the Rubber Manufacturers Association has fought all efforts to mandate a shelf-life. "RMA is not aware of scientific or technical data that establishes or identifies a specific minimum or maximum service life for passenger and light truck tires," says spokesperson Dan Zielinski.
In June, Safety Research & Strategies, Inc. of Rehoboth, MA submitted the results of its study of aging tires to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The results document 159 accidents involving tire tread or belt separation since 1992, with 128 fatalities and 168 injuries. Every one of them involved a tire that was six years old or older. According to the study, four of the tires were sold AS NEW, although their DOT codes indicated they were four, seven, even 11 years old at the time of their sale. "NHTSA recognize(s) that tire age degradation presents a hazard... The public is still at risk because it has little or no information about this mostly invisible hazard... However, the outreach to consumers has been virtually nil," SRS says in the study. "We do not have jurisdiction over retail sales. Congress has only given us the authority over the manufacturers," says Rae Tyson, a NHTSA spokesperson. "We recommend that people follow the (tire) manufacturer's guidelines."
"They have not required the auto manufacturers or, perhaps more importantly the tire manufacturers, to warn the consumers," argues Rosenblum. NHTSA has passed an administrative rule that requires all tire manufacturers to etch the DOT code on the OUTSIDE WALL of every tire after September 2009. Armed with how to decipher the code, an investigative news reporter inspected the tire inventories of eight Mid-South tire retailers. At both Costco locations (Wolfchase area and Winchester) and at the Firestone at Eastgate Shopping Center in East Memphis, tires were found for sale AS NEW that had codes indicating they were made in 2006. At two Wal-Mart locations (Cordova and Southaven, MS), each passenger tire was coded as 2008. However, at the Southaven store, a trailer tire was found for sale on the retail rack that was coded for the year 2000. At Elite Tire on Range Line Road in Frayser, the new tires inspected were all coded for 2008, but a tire was found in Nikita Martin's $10-$15 used inventory that was coded for 2002.
That's the same year as the tire that failed in Taylor's deadly accident. "It's out of date," admitted Martin. He immediately took the tire out of circulation and put it next to a dumpster. Dorr's inventory at his Cordova Gateway store was also inspected by the crew. Every tire inspected was coded as a 2008 tire. The remaining store, 61 Tire Company on Lamar Ave. in Southeast Memphis, also had every new tire coded for 2008.
This article was written by Jason Miles of WAFB Baton Rouge
http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=9369165
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design defects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. Cases involving defective products may include: defects in cars, equipment at work, toys, sport utility vehicle rollovers, gas tank explosions, seat belt failures, improperly designed household products, industrial machinery & equipment, farm equipment, products causing explosions and burns, and aviation products.
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidetattorney.com/defective%20products.html
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/auto%20injury%20accidents.html
Many times when dealing with defective car tires, a car accident is the main reason someone notices that they have defective tires. It should not take a car accident and possible injuries to realize that you were given defective tires. Do not become a victim twice. Contact the attorneys at Murphy Law Firm if you have been involved in an accident.
Both lawsuits center on a single-car accident that happened in August 2007 in Crittenden County, AR. According to the complaints, Teresa Taylor was driving her 1997 Mercury Mountaineer westbound on Interstate 40 just west of West Memphis, AR. Taylor's attorneys allege the tread on her rear driver's side tire, which was bought NEW from a Whitehaven Sears Auto Center just a year before, simply peeled off. Taylor lost control, causing her SUV to skid across the median, flip, and rolled over.
The accident killed her 15-year-old cousin, Tevin Pettis, one of her passengers. "I didn't run over anything," says Taylor. "I didn't hit anybody, but I just did not know what caused the accident." While investigating the accident, attorneys discovered a U.S. Department of Transportation code on the tire with the four digits, 2102. The attorneys say those numbers indicate the tire was manufactured in 2002. That means it sat on a shelf for FOUR YEARS before it was sold AS NEW to Taylor in 2006.
"A tire should not sit on the shelf two or three years before it is put into service or sold to someone," says Julian Bolton, a Memphis attorney who represents Pettis' mother. "They should not be on sale as 'new' tires." Michael Dorr, manager of Cordova's Gateway Tire & Service Center, showed how to decipher the DOT code etched on every tire. He says the first two digits are the WEEK it was made, while the last two digits are the YEAR. That means the tire that may have caused Taylor's accident, "2102," was manufactured in the 21st week of 2002. Dorr says tires with 3-digit DOT codes were made before the year 2000. So a tire coded "189" would have been manufactured the 18th week of 1999. "Once you know what you're looking for, it's something simple," says Dorr. "I don't see anything misleading there."
The problem is most tire manufacturers etch the code on the INSIDE WALL of the tire. If the tire is already on a vehicle, someone has to get under the car to inspect the code. "It is a hidden disclosure, if you will," says Memphis attorney Jeff Rosenblum, an expert in wrongful death cases who has assisted counsel in aging tire litigation. "And that's what's deceptive. That's what's confusing to the consumer." Rosenblum says the chemical process of constructing a passenger tire, called vulcanization, actually cooks the rubber and steel together, giving it elasticity and strength. After a while, he says, that process starts to decompose, even if the tire has never hit the road. "It may look brand, spanking new, and the consumer has no way of knowing that particular tire could be deadly," he says.
Bolton says the tire that failed in Taylor's accident was inspected twice, once by the Sears in Whitehaven a year before the accident and again 11 days before the accident by a Firestone service center in Raleigh. "This car was serviced and tires rotated, and no one noticed that the tires were aging," Bolton says. Larry Costello, communications director for Sears Holding Corporation, says the company would not comment on pending litigation. Dan MacDonald, executive director of communications for Firestone's parent company Bridgestone Americas, says Bridgestone-Firestone's guideline is to inspect all tires by five years of age and replace all tires 10 years old or older. "We believe strongly that Firestone acted totally appropriately in (Taylor's) case, and we believe that this case is without merit," says MacDonald.
As early as 1990, Volkswagen added a warning to its vehicles' owners' manuals. It acknowledged that tires do deteriorate with age, and since then, it has recommended replacing them after SIX years. Ford and Chrysler followed suit, also advocating a six-year shelf life for passenger tires. However, the Rubber Manufacturers Association has fought all efforts to mandate a shelf-life. "RMA is not aware of scientific or technical data that establishes or identifies a specific minimum or maximum service life for passenger and light truck tires," says spokesperson Dan Zielinski.
In June, Safety Research & Strategies, Inc. of Rehoboth, MA submitted the results of its study of aging tires to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The results document 159 accidents involving tire tread or belt separation since 1992, with 128 fatalities and 168 injuries. Every one of them involved a tire that was six years old or older. According to the study, four of the tires were sold AS NEW, although their DOT codes indicated they were four, seven, even 11 years old at the time of their sale. "NHTSA recognize(s) that tire age degradation presents a hazard... The public is still at risk because it has little or no information about this mostly invisible hazard... However, the outreach to consumers has been virtually nil," SRS says in the study. "We do not have jurisdiction over retail sales. Congress has only given us the authority over the manufacturers," says Rae Tyson, a NHTSA spokesperson. "We recommend that people follow the (tire) manufacturer's guidelines."
"They have not required the auto manufacturers or, perhaps more importantly the tire manufacturers, to warn the consumers," argues Rosenblum. NHTSA has passed an administrative rule that requires all tire manufacturers to etch the DOT code on the OUTSIDE WALL of every tire after September 2009. Armed with how to decipher the code, an investigative news reporter inspected the tire inventories of eight Mid-South tire retailers. At both Costco locations (Wolfchase area and Winchester) and at the Firestone at Eastgate Shopping Center in East Memphis, tires were found for sale AS NEW that had codes indicating they were made in 2006. At two Wal-Mart locations (Cordova and Southaven, MS), each passenger tire was coded as 2008. However, at the Southaven store, a trailer tire was found for sale on the retail rack that was coded for the year 2000. At Elite Tire on Range Line Road in Frayser, the new tires inspected were all coded for 2008, but a tire was found in Nikita Martin's $10-$15 used inventory that was coded for 2002.
That's the same year as the tire that failed in Taylor's deadly accident. "It's out of date," admitted Martin. He immediately took the tire out of circulation and put it next to a dumpster. Dorr's inventory at his Cordova Gateway store was also inspected by the crew. Every tire inspected was coded as a 2008 tire. The remaining store, 61 Tire Company on Lamar Ave. in Southeast Memphis, also had every new tire coded for 2008.
This article was written by Jason Miles of WAFB Baton Rouge
http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=9369165
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design defects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. Cases involving defective products may include: defects in cars, equipment at work, toys, sport utility vehicle rollovers, gas tank explosions, seat belt failures, improperly designed household products, industrial machinery & equipment, farm equipment, products causing explosions and burns, and aviation products.
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidetattorney.com/defective%20products.html
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/auto%20injury%20accidents.html
Many times when dealing with defective car tires, a car accident is the main reason someone notices that they have defective tires. It should not take a car accident and possible injuries to realize that you were given defective tires. Do not become a victim twice. Contact the attorneys at Murphy Law Firm if you have been involved in an accident.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Mattel to Pay $2.3 Million Penalty for Toy Hazard
June 5 (Bloomberg) -- Mattel Inc. and its Fisher-Price subsidiary will pay a $2.3 million civil penalty in an agreement with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for selling Chinese-made toys with hazardous levels of lead.
The fine, the commission’s largest for a toymaker, involves 95 toy models, from Barbie accessories to “Sarge” cars, commission spokesman Scott Wolfson said today.
“This penalty should serve notice to toymakers that CPSC is committed to the safety of children, to reducing their exposure to lead and to the implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act,” Thomas Moore, acting chairman of the commission, said in a statement.
Mattel, based in El Segundo, California, imported as many as 900,000 toys from September 2006 to August 2007 that violated rules on lead levels, the commission said. Fisher-Price, based in East Aurora, New York, imported as many as 1.1 million such toys, including Go Diego Go Rescue Boats and the Bongo Band, according to the commission.
Mattel “promptly took a series of steps after discovering compliance issues with some of our toys at that time,” the company said today in a statement. As part of the settlement, Mattel and Fisher-Price denied they knowingly violated federal law, as CSPC alleges, the consumer safety commission said.
The toymaker fell 11 cents to $16.35 at 4:15 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading and has risen 2.2 percent this year.
Elmo, Dora
Mattel recalled more than 21 million toys made in China, including Elmo Stacking Rings and Bedtime Dora, after they were found in 2007 to have lead paint or dangerous designs.
After the recalls by Mattel and other companies in 2007, Congress overhauled consumer regulations, effectively banning lead in toys, requiring the CPSC to hire more workers and boosting fines on sellers of dangerous products.
The lead-tainted toys contributed to debate in Congress over the safety of products imported from China, including milk products and the main ingredient in the medicine heparin. Chinese officials promised to improve oversight.
This article was written by Catherine Dodge and Allison Schwartz of bloomberg.com
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aDgBM4juwAbY
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design defects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. Cases involving defective products may include: defects in cars, equipment at work, toys, sport utility vehicle rollovers, gas tank explosions, seat belt failures, improperly designed household products, industrial machinery & equipment, farm equipment, products causing explosions and burns, and aviation products.
Don't Be A Victim Twice!
http://batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
The fine, the commission’s largest for a toymaker, involves 95 toy models, from Barbie accessories to “Sarge” cars, commission spokesman Scott Wolfson said today.
“This penalty should serve notice to toymakers that CPSC is committed to the safety of children, to reducing their exposure to lead and to the implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act,” Thomas Moore, acting chairman of the commission, said in a statement.
Mattel, based in El Segundo, California, imported as many as 900,000 toys from September 2006 to August 2007 that violated rules on lead levels, the commission said. Fisher-Price, based in East Aurora, New York, imported as many as 1.1 million such toys, including Go Diego Go Rescue Boats and the Bongo Band, according to the commission.
Mattel “promptly took a series of steps after discovering compliance issues with some of our toys at that time,” the company said today in a statement. As part of the settlement, Mattel and Fisher-Price denied they knowingly violated federal law, as CSPC alleges, the consumer safety commission said.
The toymaker fell 11 cents to $16.35 at 4:15 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading and has risen 2.2 percent this year.
Elmo, Dora
Mattel recalled more than 21 million toys made in China, including Elmo Stacking Rings and Bedtime Dora, after they were found in 2007 to have lead paint or dangerous designs.
After the recalls by Mattel and other companies in 2007, Congress overhauled consumer regulations, effectively banning lead in toys, requiring the CPSC to hire more workers and boosting fines on sellers of dangerous products.
The lead-tainted toys contributed to debate in Congress over the safety of products imported from China, including milk products and the main ingredient in the medicine heparin. Chinese officials promised to improve oversight.
This article was written by Catherine Dodge and Allison Schwartz of bloomberg.com
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aDgBM4juwAbY
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design defects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. Cases involving defective products may include: defects in cars, equipment at work, toys, sport utility vehicle rollovers, gas tank explosions, seat belt failures, improperly designed household products, industrial machinery & equipment, farm equipment, products causing explosions and burns, and aviation products.
Don't Be A Victim Twice!
http://batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Court lets stand $13M judgment against Chrysler
(05-26) 07:38 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
The Supreme Court has rejected a request from Chrysler to overturn a $13 million punitive damages award to the parents of an 8-month-old boy who died in the crash of a Dodge Caravan.
The justices without comment Tuesday left in place a ruling by the Tennessee Court upholding the damages against Chrysler LLC.
The lawsuit claimed 8-month-old Joshua Flax was riding in the back seat of a 1998 Dodge Caravan in Nashville, Tenn., in 2001 when the vehicle was rear-ended, causing the front passenger seat to collapse and the passenger to strike him, fracturing his skull.
A jury initially awarded Flax's parents $98 million in punitive damages in 2004, but the damages were later reduced. The family was also awarded $5 million in compensatory damages, which were upheld by an appeals court.
The third-largest U.S. automaker filed for bankruptcy protection in April.
The case is DaimlerChrysler Corp. v. Flax, 08-1010.
This article was provided by The San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/26/national/w073811D49.DTL&type=business
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design defects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. Cases involving defective products may include: defects in cars, equipment at work, toys, sport utility vehicle rollovers, gas tank explosions, seat belt failures, improperly designed household products, industrial machinery & equipment, farm equipment, products causing explosions and burns, and aviation products. It’s always important to save the defective product or have an attorney quickly investigate and preserve any remaining evidence.
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
The Supreme Court has rejected a request from Chrysler to overturn a $13 million punitive damages award to the parents of an 8-month-old boy who died in the crash of a Dodge Caravan.
The justices without comment Tuesday left in place a ruling by the Tennessee Court upholding the damages against Chrysler LLC.
The lawsuit claimed 8-month-old Joshua Flax was riding in the back seat of a 1998 Dodge Caravan in Nashville, Tenn., in 2001 when the vehicle was rear-ended, causing the front passenger seat to collapse and the passenger to strike him, fracturing his skull.
A jury initially awarded Flax's parents $98 million in punitive damages in 2004, but the damages were later reduced. The family was also awarded $5 million in compensatory damages, which were upheld by an appeals court.
The third-largest U.S. automaker filed for bankruptcy protection in April.
The case is DaimlerChrysler Corp. v. Flax, 08-1010.
This article was provided by The San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/26/national/w073811D49.DTL&type=business
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design defects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. Cases involving defective products may include: defects in cars, equipment at work, toys, sport utility vehicle rollovers, gas tank explosions, seat belt failures, improperly designed household products, industrial machinery & equipment, farm equipment, products causing explosions and burns, and aviation products. It’s always important to save the defective product or have an attorney quickly investigate and preserve any remaining evidence.
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
Thursday, May 21, 2009
J&J Is Sued Over Alleged Carcinogens in Baby Shampoo
May 18 (Bloomberg) -- Johnson & Johnson, the world’s largest maker of health-care products, and other manufacturers were sued over claims they distributed shampoos and soaps containing carcinogens.
The lawsuit, filed May 15 in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, claims J&J, Procter & Gamble Co. and other companies sold personal-care products containing formaldehyde and other compounds known to cause cancer, according to Mary Garner, a spokeswoman for the law firm Keller Rohrback LLP. Those products include Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, according to a statement.
“Dozens of top-selling children’s bath and personal care products are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals,” the law firm said in the statement.
Jeffrey Leebaw, a J&J spokesman, didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment after regular business hours.
J&J, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, had $63.7 billion in sales last year.
J&J rose 64 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $56.05 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has fallen 6.3 percent this year.
Vercellono v. Johnson & Johnson, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey (Newark).
This article was written by Joel Rosenblatt on Bloomberg.com
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aWYP6.osJg8k
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design defects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. Cases involving defective products may include: defects in cars, equipment at work, toys, sport utility vehicle rollovers, gas tank explosions, seat belt failures, improperly designed household products, industrial machinery & equipment, farm equipment, products causing explosions and burns, and aviation products. It’s always important to save the defective product or have an attorney quickly investigate and preserve any remaining evidence.
Don't Be A Victim Twice!
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
The lawsuit, filed May 15 in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, claims J&J, Procter & Gamble Co. and other companies sold personal-care products containing formaldehyde and other compounds known to cause cancer, according to Mary Garner, a spokeswoman for the law firm Keller Rohrback LLP. Those products include Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, according to a statement.
“Dozens of top-selling children’s bath and personal care products are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals,” the law firm said in the statement.
Jeffrey Leebaw, a J&J spokesman, didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment after regular business hours.
J&J, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, had $63.7 billion in sales last year.
J&J rose 64 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $56.05 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has fallen 6.3 percent this year.
Vercellono v. Johnson & Johnson, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey (Newark).
This article was written by Joel Rosenblatt on Bloomberg.com
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aWYP6.osJg8k
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design defects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. Cases involving defective products may include: defects in cars, equipment at work, toys, sport utility vehicle rollovers, gas tank explosions, seat belt failures, improperly designed household products, industrial machinery & equipment, farm equipment, products causing explosions and burns, and aviation products. It’s always important to save the defective product or have an attorney quickly investigate and preserve any remaining evidence.
Don't Be A Victim Twice!
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
Ex-athlete awarded $40 million in lawsuit
Former Hamburg High School diving champion Thomas Smolinski, who was paralyzed in a car crash 10 years ago, was awarded $40 million Friday by a jury.
A jury of three women and three men deliberated two days — following a four-week trial before State Supreme Court Justice Joseph R. Glownia— before issuing a verdict against Ford Motor Credit Co. and Smolinski’s older brother, Matthew, 37, of Buffalo.
The jury held Matthew Smolinski and the Ford Motor subsidiary equally liable for the rollover of a Ford Explorer, owned by Ford Motor Credit and driven by Matthew Smolinski in Leon, Cattaraugus County, on Nov. 20, 1999.
Attorney Anne Beltz Rimmler said her client, Thomas Smolinski, now 33, suffered “devastating” spinal injuries from the accident that left him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair “and having to rely on others for his daily care.”
“I’m really delighted that Tom will get the care and treatment he’ll need,” Beltz Rimmler said of the award.
Beltz Rimmler said her client married in June 2002 and is the father of twin girls, almost a year old. He briefly coached diving at Niagara University for a time after the accident, but his injuries forced him to resign, she said.
At the time of the accident Smolinski had just graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in marketing and communication, and had achieved Academic All-American status in springboard diving in Division 1 athletics, Beltz Rimmler said.
The lawsuit has left the relationship between the Smolinski brothers “strained,” the attorney said.
This article was written by Matt Gryta of The Buffalo News
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/614658.html
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design defects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. Cases involving defective products may include: defects in cars, equipment at work, toys, sport utility vehicle rollovers, gas tank explosions, seat belt failures, improperly designed household products, industrial machinery & equipment, farm equipment, products causing explosions and burns, and aviation products. It’s always important to save the defective product or have an attorney quickly investigate and preserve any remaining evidence. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ) reports that 8,000 injuries and deaths each year are attributable to defective tires on vehicles. The issue of tire defects was highlighted in 2000 by the recall of some 14 million Bridgestone and Firestone tires after the NHTSA established a link between the tires and hundreds of accidents involving the popular Ford Explorer.
Don't Be A Victim Twice!
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/auto%20injury%20accidents.html
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
A jury of three women and three men deliberated two days — following a four-week trial before State Supreme Court Justice Joseph R. Glownia— before issuing a verdict against Ford Motor Credit Co. and Smolinski’s older brother, Matthew, 37, of Buffalo.
The jury held Matthew Smolinski and the Ford Motor subsidiary equally liable for the rollover of a Ford Explorer, owned by Ford Motor Credit and driven by Matthew Smolinski in Leon, Cattaraugus County, on Nov. 20, 1999.
Attorney Anne Beltz Rimmler said her client, Thomas Smolinski, now 33, suffered “devastating” spinal injuries from the accident that left him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair “and having to rely on others for his daily care.”
“I’m really delighted that Tom will get the care and treatment he’ll need,” Beltz Rimmler said of the award.
Beltz Rimmler said her client married in June 2002 and is the father of twin girls, almost a year old. He briefly coached diving at Niagara University for a time after the accident, but his injuries forced him to resign, she said.
At the time of the accident Smolinski had just graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in marketing and communication, and had achieved Academic All-American status in springboard diving in Division 1 athletics, Beltz Rimmler said.
The lawsuit has left the relationship between the Smolinski brothers “strained,” the attorney said.
This article was written by Matt Gryta of The Buffalo News
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/614658.html
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for design defects, improper safety devices and manufacturing defects. Cases involving defective products may include: defects in cars, equipment at work, toys, sport utility vehicle rollovers, gas tank explosions, seat belt failures, improperly designed household products, industrial machinery & equipment, farm equipment, products causing explosions and burns, and aviation products. It’s always important to save the defective product or have an attorney quickly investigate and preserve any remaining evidence. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ) reports that 8,000 injuries and deaths each year are attributable to defective tires on vehicles. The issue of tire defects was highlighted in 2000 by the recall of some 14 million Bridgestone and Firestone tires after the NHTSA established a link between the tires and hundreds of accidents involving the popular Ford Explorer.
Don't Be A Victim Twice!
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/auto%20injury%20accidents.html
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
Monday, May 11, 2009
FDA recalls weight loss supplement Hydroxycut
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Hydroxycut products, popular dietary supplements used for weight loss, have been linked to liver damage and are being recalled, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday.
The FDA has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries, including a death, linked to Hydroxycut products.
The FDA said it has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries linked to Hydroxycut products, which are also used as energy enhancers and as fat burners.
The reports include the 2007 death of a 19-year-old man living in the Southwest, which was reported to the FDA in March. Other serious liver problems reported included liver damage that resulted in a transplant in 2002, liver failure, jaundice, seizures and cardiovascular problems.
The FDA is warning consumers to immediately stop using 14 Hydroxycut products manufactured by Iovate Health Sciences Inc. of Oakville, Ontario, and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, New York.
The company is voluntarily recalling the following products: Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix), Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Liquid Shots, Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink), Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed, Hydroxycut 24, Hydroxycut Carb Control and Hydroxycut Natural.
According to the FDA, last year, Iovate sold more than 9 million units of Hydroxycut products, which were distributed widely to grocery stores, health food stores and pharmacies.
Health Library
"The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risks. Adverse events are rare, but exist. Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they experience symptoms possibly associated with these products," said Dr. Linda Katz, interim chief medical officer of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Liver damage is rare, but patients who experienced problems were taking doses recommended on the product label, the FDA said. Symptoms include brown urine, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, stomach pain, itching and light-colored stools.
The FDA has not determined what specific ingredients are responsible for the problems, because the products contain a variety of overlapping ingredients and herbal extracts.
Dietary supplements sold before October 1994 are not required to undergo any FDA review before going to market. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 required manufacturers to ensure a supplement to be safe before marketing. But manufacturers still don't need to register a product with the FDA or get approval before selling a supplement.
The agency can take action against an unsafe supplement once it's on the market. Since December 2007, any serious adverse event reported to the manufacturer must now be reported to the FDA within 15 days.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition, the leading trade association representing the dietary supplement industry, said that both the FDA and Iovate "took appropriate action today."
"We commend FDA for warning consumers of a potential safety problem associated with these products, and were encouraged to see that the company -- Iovate Health Sciences -- agreed to recall the products from the market until further determinations can be made," said Steve Mister, the council's president and CEO.
This article was written by Saundra Young of CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/01/hydroxycut.fda.recall/index.html
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for unsafe products.
Don't Be A Victim Twice!
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
The FDA has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries, including a death, linked to Hydroxycut products.
The FDA said it has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries linked to Hydroxycut products, which are also used as energy enhancers and as fat burners.
The reports include the 2007 death of a 19-year-old man living in the Southwest, which was reported to the FDA in March. Other serious liver problems reported included liver damage that resulted in a transplant in 2002, liver failure, jaundice, seizures and cardiovascular problems.
The FDA is warning consumers to immediately stop using 14 Hydroxycut products manufactured by Iovate Health Sciences Inc. of Oakville, Ontario, and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, New York.
The company is voluntarily recalling the following products: Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix), Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Liquid Shots, Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink), Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed, Hydroxycut 24, Hydroxycut Carb Control and Hydroxycut Natural.
According to the FDA, last year, Iovate sold more than 9 million units of Hydroxycut products, which were distributed widely to grocery stores, health food stores and pharmacies.
Health Library
"The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risks. Adverse events are rare, but exist. Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they experience symptoms possibly associated with these products," said Dr. Linda Katz, interim chief medical officer of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Liver damage is rare, but patients who experienced problems were taking doses recommended on the product label, the FDA said. Symptoms include brown urine, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, stomach pain, itching and light-colored stools.
The FDA has not determined what specific ingredients are responsible for the problems, because the products contain a variety of overlapping ingredients and herbal extracts.
Dietary supplements sold before October 1994 are not required to undergo any FDA review before going to market. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 required manufacturers to ensure a supplement to be safe before marketing. But manufacturers still don't need to register a product with the FDA or get approval before selling a supplement.
The agency can take action against an unsafe supplement once it's on the market. Since December 2007, any serious adverse event reported to the manufacturer must now be reported to the FDA within 15 days.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition, the leading trade association representing the dietary supplement industry, said that both the FDA and Iovate "took appropriate action today."
"We commend FDA for warning consumers of a potential safety problem associated with these products, and were encouraged to see that the company -- Iovate Health Sciences -- agreed to recall the products from the market until further determinations can be made," said Steve Mister, the council's president and CEO.
This article was written by Saundra Young of CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/01/hydroxycut.fda.recall/index.html
Defective products harm millions of people each year. Manufacturers should be held responsible for unsafe products.
Don't Be A Victim Twice!
http://www.batonrougeinjuryaccidentattorney.com/defective%20products.html
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