At least four class action lawsuits have been filed including one against Amazon.com alleging that the recall of 4.7 million Rock ‘n Play products is inadequate. According to a Law.com report, the sleepers have been linked to 32 infant deaths. Mattel Inc., which owns Fisher-Price, announced a voluntary recall April 12 of 4.7 million sleepers citing risks that infants could suffocate if they rolled from their backs to their stomachs or sides.
Justice for Victims and Families
The lawsuits said the recall is inadequate claiming that they don’t provide justice for the many families who have already experienced injury or death tied to the Rock ‘n Play sleepers. One lawsuit was filed on behalf of a couple whose 3-month-old daughter died Sept. 25 just minutes after her mother placed her in one of these sleepers.
The lawsuit said the recall does not even offer refunds to all of the purchasers of the products and in addition, seeks injunctive relief to prevent tragic incidents like these from happening in the future. There are also apparently illegal re-sales of these products going on in the used products markets on Facebook, Craigslist and Amazon.
The lawsuits also target what they call Fisher-Price’s deceptive and misleading marketing of the product for overnight sleeping in spite of recommendations from pediatricians that babies should sleep flat on their backs on a firm bed. In addition, the lawsuits state Fisher-Price and Mattel lobbied the Consumer Product Safety Commission over the last two years to avoid this massive recall. The lawsuit seeks to represent a nationwide class of parents whose children died or were injured as a result of these products, as well as consumers who bought these sleepers.
Role of Class Action Lawsuits
An experienced product defect lawyer will be able to guide those who have suffered major losses as a result of these products. However, in other cases, where significant losses have not been sustained, a class action lawsuit is a means to hold large corporations accountable for their negligence
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It is a way for consumers who have been affected to band together against a large entity, who might otherwise prove too powerful. As class action lawyers, we are resolved to help consumers fight for justice and hold negligent corporations accountable. We hope the families that have been impacted by these dangerous and defective products get justice.
