Graco recently recalled approximately 2 million Graco strollers because the strollers have been known to cause entrapment and strangulation, including four deaths between 2003 and 2005. There have also been several reports of infants becoming entrapped in the stroller, resulting in cuts, bruises and difficulty breathing. The recall includes the older versions of the Graco […]

The city of San Francisco has effectively banned McDonald’s Happy Meal. The city’s Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance on November 2, 2010 requiring that meals that include toys with their purchase, like the popular Happy Meal does, meet specific nutritional guidelines. Since the Happy Meal currently does not meet such nutritional requirements, it is […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a report setting forth the findings of its 10-year study tracking the retail food industry’s efforts to reduce certain key risk factors. Based on the study’s findings, the FDA’s report called for increased efforts to improve food safety practices in retail food establishments, specifically with respect […]

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), a children’s product is defined as a consumer product designed or intended for use primarily by children 12 years of age or younger, but, until recently, there was little clarification about the interpretation of the definition. Because children’s products are subject to strict product safety guidelines […]

When a manufacturer wishes to introduce a new medical device or reintroduce a device that will be significantly changed or modified to the extent that its safety or effectiveness could be affected, the manufacturer must provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with a Premarket Notification (PMA) in the form of a 510(k) submission […]

Caffeinated alcoholic beverages may soon be a thing of the past. On November 17, 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to four manufacturers of beverages containing both alcohol and caffeine, such as Four Loko and Joose, admonishing the companies for violations of federal law and effectively banning the beverages from […]

The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit of Illinois recently considered whether a products liability lawsuit involving an allegedly defective lawnmower could proceed under Illinois law. In Malen v. MTD Products, Inc., No. 08-3855, the plaintiff’s foot was injured when he slipped off of his riding lawnmower and his foot was struck […]

Be careful with that scalding hot cup of coffee or tea that you just bought. If you spill it and sustain third degree burns, you may be severely injured and out of luck. That’s the unfortunate lesson to be learned from a recent federal court decision. In Moltner v. Starbucks Coffee Co, No. 09-4943, the […]

At issue in a recent Illinois products liability lawsuit was whether the manufacturer of Motrin was liable for an adverse reaction to its product. In Robinson v. McNeil Consumer HealthCare, 2010 WL 3156548, the plaintiffs brought a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The facts in this case […]