Product Liability Attorneys Blog

Reuters is reporting that more than 1.7 million single-cup coffee makers manufactured by Tassimo plus another 4 million espresso coffee pads were recently recalled because dozens of customers reported that they were sprayed with hot liquid, causing major burn injuries.

Consumer protection laws are designed to help people who buy products that either don't work as advertised or cause potential injuries. People who invest their hard-earned money in products should be getting what they paid for.

Sometimes, as product liability attorneys have seen, companies attempt to cut corners in the materials they use, the testing they're supposed to do or the time they're supposed to take to craft a solid product. Instead, they rush things through just so they can get the product onto the shelves as quickly as possible.

According to Reuters, Tassimo, which manufactures their product in China and Slovenia, had to recall about 835,000 single-cup brewers in the United States and another 900,000 in Canada. About 4 million espresso pads were also recalled.

About 160 consumers so far have reported being injured by the machines, including a 10-year-old girl in Minnesota who was hospitalized with second-degree burns on her face and neck. A 2-year-old from Canada reportedly also has second-degree burns on her face because of the product.

The product debuted in 2008 and sold for between $100 and $250. Of the 160 people who so far have reported injuries, 37 reported second-degree burns. Customers are being warned to immediately stop using the models reported as dangerous by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The commission reports that consumers can end up being sprayed with hot liquid, coffee grounds or tea leaves. This can injure users as well as bystanders. Second-degree burns are serious and can leave life-altering marks and scars.

The first recall related to the Tassimo machines themselves, while a separate recall dealt with espresso T Discs, which contain pre-packaged ground beans in their own filter. Kraft recalled 2.1 million packages in the United States and another 1.9 million north of the border.

These packages, made in the United States and involving brands such as Maxwell House, Nabob and Gevalia, were sold for between $8 and $11 from August to February. All of these products should not be used and consumers should contact the company for a full refund.

Regardless of the price of the product, it should work as advertised. And companies are required by law to warn consumers if they receive safety complaints. Hiding this information can lead to penalties and fines.

Consumers have a right to know if what they've purchased is defective. Consumers may be surprised at the number of goods that end up being recalled because of manufacturer errors or other problems. In some cases, a problem can simply make the product not work as it should.

But in some cases, a person can be severely injured if the product not only fails to work as advertised, but does so in a way that leads to burns, cuts or other risks of serious or fatal injury. These victims often need representation to make sure their hospital bills and other damages are covered.

Continue reading "Single-Serve Coffee Makers Recalled Due to Defect That Causes Burn Hazard" »

Giant drug maker Pfizer has come under pressure of late because it has recalled birth control pill packets it believes were incorrectly packaged, which caused women to take a lower dose than needed to prevent pregnancy, The New York Times reports.

Product liability attorneys hear examples of products coming out of the manufacturing plant defective all the time, but sadly the news doesn't spread until there's a problem. Companies often under-test their products because they want to get them on the shelves as quickly as possible.

Consumer protection laws are designed to help the public when they suffer as a result of a defective drug or defective product. Drugs are important to curing illnesses and fending off diseases. But they can also have major side effects.

While government agencies are designed to screen for these problems, the oversight is weak -- typically the Food and Drug Administration relies upon the studies conducted by the company seeking to have a drug approved. But that is still no excuse. The companies themselves are to have stringent testing protocols to make sure the products they are selling are free from serious risk. Instead, they frequently conduct mandatory testing in third-world countries, far from the prying eyes of regulators.

In this situation, Pfizer, a leading pharmaceutical company, recalled about 1 million packets of birth control pills. The company believes as few as 30 may have actually been affected. While that's a low percentage, that is still 30 people, potentially, who were using birth control and may now be pregnant.

The 21-pill "blister" packs typically contain 21 hormone-containing pills and seven inactive pills for women to be protected from an unwanted pregnancy. In some packages, the inactive pills may have been put in the wrong spots, meaning women could have taken inactive pills on days when they should have been taking active pills. This could lead to an unplanned pregnancy.

The Times reports that it asked Pfizer if it was going to pay for health care costs related to a pregnancy or abortion and other issues, but the company hasn't directly answered the question. The company said in a written statement that women should use a non-hormonal contraception immediately.

Consumer protection laws may very well be useful to people who are affected by this issue. Women take birth control specifically because they are not ready or willing to have a child. In some cases, they have a serious medical condition that could impact the health and welfare of mother or child.

Obviously, users understand that the drug may not completely stop pregnancy, but it becomes a bigger problem if it is a manufacturing issue that leads to the defect. Regardless of the type of drug, consumer protection laws can help.

Even if the drug is designed to treat a certain ailment or problem, the effects - unintended or otherwise - of the drug can cause bigger problems than the initial symptoms. These are also issues that must be addressed by an experienced consumer protection lawyer. These drug companies make billions of dollars, but that's no excuse for putting people at risk. Despite testing, sometimes the process is rushed and that creates problems for the consumer that can lead to serious or fatal injury.

Continue reading "Pfizer Birth Control Recall Highlights Defective Drug Issues" »