Sacramento Products liability Lawyer

JUUL Litigation and Regulatory Updates

October 4, 2022 | Edward Smith

Vaping Manufacturer Fights for its Life in the U.S.

JUUL Labs, the manufacturer of the most popular nicotine vaping product, is facing numerous lawsuits across the United States over the ways that its sales and marketing practices allegedly led to the explosion of youth vaping problems. Some litigation may be concluding, while other lawsuits and actions by regulatory agencies continue forward. The litigation is costing JUUL huge amounts of money to fight and resolve the actions, while regulators may effectively put the company out of business.

I Bought a Defective Product – Now What?

September 12, 2022 | Edward Smith

Protecting Your Claim Against a Defective Product

When you buy a product, you trust it will perform as advertised. Whatever product you buy shouldn’t cause you harm. Unfortunately, many products consumers purchase can be harmful such as auto parts, medications, appliances and toys. A dangerous product may be released into the market for a variety of reasons, including unclear instructions, faulty manufacturing, unlisted side effects, and design defects. The following tips provide steps for an individual harmed by a defective product to help them get the compensation they deserve.

Baby Formula Linked to NEC

March 11, 2022 | Edward Smith

Premature Babies Nursed on Formula Are at Risk of NEC

Premature babies or underweight infants are at risk of developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a severe intestinal disease. This condition causes intestinal tissue to die. It can also create a hole in their intestine, where bacteria can leak through, causing severe abdominal infections.

FDA Report Cites E-Cigarette Dangers to Youth

December 26, 2021 | Edward Smith

FDA Regulatory Actions Parallel Ongoing JUUL Litigation

The potential and actual dangers from e-cigarettes have certainly been well-highlighted in the news in recent years, and more and more specific evidence, analysis, and studies have been proving many of these concerns to be true. Interestingly, at the same time that one major study has described and criticized e-cigarette dangers to youth, the same federal agency that issued the report has given approval for other e-cigarettes to be marketed. Simultaneously, litigation against the biggest manufacturer of e-cigarettes — JUUL — continues forward.

NHTSA Investigates 30 Million Vehicles Over Takata Airbag Concerns

November 11, 2021 | Edward Smith

30 Million Vehicles Investigated Due to Takata Airbag Inflator Concerns

Takata airbags are once more the center of a huge investigation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating 30 million more vehicles with possible defective Takata airbag inflators.

Congressional Report on Fisher-Price Hammock Deaths Cases

August 15, 2021 | Edward Smith

Fisher-Price Hammock Deaths Reviewed by House Committee

In June of 2021, a Congressional committee produced a report describing the results of its investigation over the last two years of the Rock ‘n Play Hammock produced and sold by Fisher-Price and Mattel, two giant corporations in the children’s and infant’s toy and products market. This device was a sleeping hammock designed for infants that held the baby at a 30-degree angle of inclination for nighttime sleeping. The extensive investigation included documents from the design, production, and sales of the sleeper by Fisher-Price, as well as interviews and testimony from company employees and investigators from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which had earlier conducted its own investigation into the Fisher-Price hammock deaths.

Kidde Smoke Alarm Recall

June 13, 2021 | Edward Smith

Recall Targets Defective Home Smoke Alarms

Many different types of consumer products may end up being subject to recall for defects in design and/or manufacture. While some of those defects may result in products that simply don’t work as intended for the person who purchased them, other defects may place the user in actual physical danger. And when the product being recalled is one that is specifically intended to keep us safe from other sources of significant danger, the potential for injury or death is even greater. This is the situation involved in a major Kidde smoke alarm recall just recently announced.

Peloton Treadmill Recall

May 30, 2021 | Edward Smith

Dangerous Home Exercise Equipment

Many of us have pieces of home exercise equipment that may get used regularly or get stuck in a closet. During the last year of the Covid-19 lockdown, many home exercise units have gotten much more attention than ever. One byproduct of this extra attention is increased awareness that some of these units may be dangerous to adult users and, more likely, to young children and pets. An example is a May 5, 2021, Peloton treadmill recall that follows the death of one young child and at least 39 other injuries.

Takata Airbags a Repeating Problem?

May 18, 2021 | Edward Smith

Issues with Takata Airbags

Defects in the design or manufacturing of consumer products are found all the time. Diligent manufacturers will discover them through testing and further refine their products before selling them to the public. However, far too often, defects are not corrected until after injuries or deaths to users of the products force recalls, replacements, re-designs, and other corrective actions. Usually, the corrective action involves actually changing the product to something safer. Sometimes, though, manufacturers choose to rely upon “Band-Aid” solutions that merely hide or postpone the problem — this type of behavior may make Takata airbags a repeating problem.

Electric Vehicle Batteries Pose a Threat?

May 16, 2021 | Edward Smith

Electronic Vehicle Battery Concerns

Hybrid electric vehicles have been on the market in the United States since 1999, with some 5.4 million having sold through 2020. However, the sales of hybrids peaked in 2013 as more and more plug-in electric vehicles have been sold — about 1.5 million from 2010 to 2020. As sales of electric vehicles of all types continue to increase, a connected concern also increases whether all these electric vehicle batteries pose a threat.