Consumers should always be on the lookout for announced recalls. Every year, countless people are injured by defective toys, tools, vehicles, food, drugs and other consumer goods. When a product is found to be dangerous, most companies will take the proper steps to limit their liability. While recalls generally come too late for some consumers, […]
Dangerous Or Defective Products
In-Flight Meal Leaves One Passenger Dead
A 73-year-old man ordered the chicken on an American Airlines flight from Barcelona to New York. The meal was allegedly contaminated with deadly bacteria. He became ill and his condition worsened on the next leg of his flight from New York to Miami. The man died shortly after the flight emergency landed in Virginia. The surviving family […]
Defective Drug Manufacturer Settles Vioxx Case
In 2007, the drug maker Merck agreed to a $4.85 billion settlement with the individuals who suffered heart attacks, strokes or other injuries associated with the use of Vioxx, as well as with the families of those who died as a result of using the drug. The makers of this defective drug have now settled their case […]
Baby Sling Leads to Wrongful Death Suit
The Eddie Bauer Sling & Hip Carrier is the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit filed last week in Cook County Court. The plaintiffs believe that the defective product caused their newborn daughter to suffocate while her father carried her. The family has named the retailer that sold the sling, as well as the manufacturers of the […]
Baby Shampoo Contains Carcinogen
The cancer causing agent formaldehyde can be found in an unlikely product, Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoo. Johnson & Johnson has promised to remove the preservative responsible for releasing the carcinogen, though no plan has been announced for how to deal with the contaminated products still on the shelves. Consumer groups are calling the decision a victory, […]
The Hypocrisy of Tort Reform Advocates
Caterpillar is a well-known maker of industrial equipment, including construction vehicles, mining equipment, engines and more. As a board member of the Institute for Legal Reform, they are a leader in the movement to restrict the ability of individuals to sue after suffering a personal injury at the hands of a negligent corporation. This movement, under the […]
Salmonella scare leads to turkey product recall
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to search for the source of a salmonella outbreak that has killed one person and left more than 70 others seriously ill. After an internal investigation, Cargill has decided to recall 36 million pounds of potentially contaminated products made from fresh and frozen ground turkey. In addition, the […]
FDA medical device approval process under fire
A series of high profile recalls led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to seek recommendations for how the medical device approval system could be improved. Recently, defective product recalls involving Medtronic defibrillators and DuPuy artificial hips have drawn significant attention to how the FDA grants approval for medical devices. These and many other medical devices were […]
Early result in contaminated blood thinner litigation
Significant litigation has arisen in connection with Baxter International Inc. and its supplier, Scientific Protein Laboratories. The defective product claims stem from contaminated heparin, a blood-thinner, distributed to patients all over the country. The drug allegedly became contaminated during a portion of the supply chain that occurred in China. Officials at Baxter International claim that the contaminant, […]
Questions about safety of prescription weight loss drug
The Food and Drug Administration has only approved one over-the-counter drug. But now a consumer advocacy group is asking the FDA to ban the sale of the drug Alli and its more potent prescription counterpart Xenical. The group has cited numerous reports of medical problems from people who are using the drugs, and believes that […]
Why Sellers of Defective Products Should Be Responsible For the Harm Those Products Cause
Medical product manufacturer closes during investigation of contaminated products
A Wisconsin manufacturer of baby wipes, medical pads and other products closed down its plant this week when U.S. Marshals arrived with orders to seize the dangerous products. The investigation was triggered by the discovery of bacterial contamination in some of their products. Food and Drug Administration officials had asked the company to voluntarily shut down […]
United States District Court Issues Payments to Victims of Contaminated Heparin Syringes
In 2007 Illinois-based pharmaceutical company AM2 PAT, Inc. manufactured heparin-filled syringes contaminated with the dangerous bacteria serratia marcescens then sold the dangerous syringes to various distributors who provided them to unsuspecting patients. Many of the patients who used the syringes became seriously ill from exposure to the bacteria. The victims looked to AM2 PAT and […]
FDA issues stronger warning of Topamax birth defect risk
New data has prompted the Food and Drug Administration to warn of an increased risk of cleft palette or cleft lip in infants born to mothers who are taking Topamax during the first trimester of pregnancy. Infants exposed to the drug during the first trimester are several times more likely to develop an oral cleft […]
NHTSA Announces Recall of Ford Windstar Vans Over Safety Concerns
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has announced a recall of Ford Windstar vans due to concerns over a potential equipment defect posing an increased risk of crashing. The recall is intended to fix brackets and mounts in the front subframe that may separate and cause reduced steering control. More than 400,000 vehicles are potentially affected, including […]
Report finds dangerous chemicals in home improvement products
A recent study found that the same chemicals and heavy metals that have been banned in children’s toys are still appearing in home improvement products such as floorings and wall coverings. The researchers focused on heavy metals such as lead and cadium as well as phthalates. These compounds can have negative medical consequences including learning disabilities, early […]
Proposal in Wisconsin Would Make it Harder to Recover Damages
New Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has introduced a proposal which would make it more difficult for parties injured by defective products to recover damages in court. It would require that a plaintiff be able to prove exactly which part of the supply chain, the manufacturer, distributor or retailer, was responsible for the defect which caused […]