Defective & Dangerous Products

• Outdoor Candles Recalled for Fire Hazard

  Chrissie Cole | September 10, 2007 5:35 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Hayes Company Inc., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), announced a voluntary recall of 83,000 "Avant Yarde" outdoor candles due to a fire hazard. The candle wax can catch fire causing a high flame and burn hazard to consumers.To date, the company has received two reports of minor burn injuries while consumers tried to extinguish the candle flames.The candle...

• Tobacco Manufacturer Moving Overseas to Avoid Regulation

  Brenda Fulmer | September 10, 2007 9:28 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  On August 30, 2007, Altria Group announced that it was spinning off Philip Morris International and will be moving that division to Lausanne, Switzerland. Philip Morris USA will remain a division of Altria. Big Tobacco is facing a backlash in the United States from consumers and regulators who are fed up with renegade marketing and sales tactics to expand its market as the cigarette...

• FDA Will Probe Popcorn Additive

  Staff Writer | September 07, 2007 10:56 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  ConAgra Foods, most recently in the news for peanut butter contamination, is once again drawing the attention of federal authorities. This time, it's because of an additive in their microwaveable popcorn. The additive, diacetyl, gives popcorn the buttery flavor. It's also known to contribute to lung cancer in workers who handle large quantities of the additive. The FDA has stated that...

• Barbie Accessories Recalled for Excessive Lead

  Chrissie Cole | September 05, 2007 7:09 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Mattel announced a voluntary toy recall of 675,000 Barbie accessories due to excessive levels of lead in the surface paints, which is prohibited by law and toxic to small children.The toy recall includes several Barbie toy accessories that were manufactured between September 30, 2006 and August 20, 2007. You can view a full list of recalled barbie accessories to determine if you have any. The...

• Judge Gives Preliminary Approval for $65 Million Snuff Settlement

  Chrissie Cole | September 04, 2007 9:08 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  A Milwaukee County Judge has given preliminary approval for a class action tobacco lawsuit filed in 2002, that has reached a $65 million dollar settlement. The final hearing is set for December.The settlement terms will allow Wisconsin snuff users to each receive more than $800 in coupons to buy smokeless tobacco at a steep discount over the span of twenty years.The lawsuit claimed Wisconsin...

• Baby Cribs Recalled by NettoCollection

  Shannon Weidemann | September 04, 2007 4:18 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Baby cribs that may pose a strangulation hazard to babies and young children have been recalled by NettoCollection. The recalled cribs were sold between October 2003 and June 2005 for around $1,350. About 400 cribs are affected by the recall. The slats on the crib can seperate from the rails. The crib side rails are made of wood and sold with a brown finish. Only cribs with model numbers...

• Another Salmonella Contamination Recall

  Staff Writer | August 30, 2007 1:32 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  68,000 pounds of bagged fresh spinach are being recalled after a sampling of the spinach tested positive for salmonella. The contaminated spinach was packed by Metz Fresh in California and involves spinach packed on August 22nd. The recall involves only fresh spinach packed under the Metz Fresh label, in packaging marked with tracking code 12208114, 12208214 or 12208314. The spinach was packed...

• Toys "R" Us Recalls Coloring Cases for Lead

  Chrissie Cole | August 30, 2007 2:02 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Toys "R" Us announced a recall of 27,000 Imaginarium coloring cases that were made in China. The ink printed on the outer packaging of the coloring cases contain lead. The black watercolor paint also contains excessive levels of lead.The recall includes the Imaginarium Brand 213 Piece Wooden Coloring Case which has colored pencils, crayons, pencils, paint, paintbrush and more.Consumers that have...

• Dismissal of Tobacco Lawsuit Upheld in Appeals Court

  Chrissie Cole | August 27, 2007 2:25 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  The First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in Boston, upheld the dismissal of a tobacco lawsuit filed by a group trying to strong arm tobacco companies to repay $60 billion spent by Medicare to treat smoking-related illnesses.The group believes the tobacco companies should be held accountable for expenditures to treat illnesses that arise from smoking.The original lawsuit was dismissed in August...

• Peanut Butter Class Action Lawsuits

  Staff Writer | August 19, 2007 6:03 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  The Judicial Panel on MultiDistrict Litigation has granted the motion to centralize peanut butter cases and has selected the Northern District of Georgia as the transferee court. The Judicial Panel granted the motion to centralize the cases and selected the Northern District of Georgia because three class actions (and two tag-along actions) are pending there, because common defendant ConAgra...