One of the many things personal injury attorneys do is fight to protect the helpless, defenseless members of our society, including children. When large manufacturers ignore their duty to exercise reasonable care in the production and distribution of products geared toward children, personal injury and class action attorneys step in and force them to compensate the victims of their negligence and change their practices in the future.
Recently, there have been a large number of recalls and lawsuits related to children’s products that exemplify the importance of holding these large companies accountable for their actions.
For example, as discussed in this blog post from The Pop Tort, a class action is now pending in which an Illinois mother is alleging that Abbott Laboratories, Inc. knew that Similac infant formula contained beetle larvae but failed to issue a recall for over a week after learning that the formula was contaminated.
In another case, Wal-mart agreed to pay the state of New Jersey “$775,000 in fines and revise its business practices following a ruling that the company sold expired infant formula and over-the-counter drugs to customers.”
And, as discussed in this New York Times article, another potential problem area is children’s jewelry tainted with cadmium, a metal that is toxic when ingested or inhaled. As explained in the article, there have been a number of recalls related to cadmium:
Retailers like Dress Barn and Claire’s Boutiques recalled necklaces, earrings and bracelets this year after finding the products contained cadmium. The restaurant chain McDonald’s offered $3 refunds in June to customers who bought “Shrek drinking glasses with high levels of cadmium in the paint.
Clearly, manufacturers don’t always have their customer’s best interests in mind. And, it’s up to government agencies and plaintiff’s attorneys to protect the interests of consumers and keep these large companies in check.
Howard Ankin of Ankin Law (www.ankinlaw.com) handles workers’ compensation and personal injury cases. Mr. Ankin can be reached at (312) 346-8780 and howard@ankinlaw.com.
Related articles
- Similac infant formula undergoes recall (charlotte.news14.com)
- U.S. Seeks Limits on Cadmium for Toys and Jewelry (nytimes.com)
- Beetle-Tainted Similac Infant Formula Recalled (aolhealth.com)
- Carcinogenic cadmium-packed kids jewelry still being sold: Health Canada (canada.com)