PRODUCT RECALL | Cochlear implant device recalled due to malfunctions

NATIONAL - According to MedPage Today, "Makers of a cochlear implant device have issued a voluntary recall of the device due to malfunctions that may cause severe pain and shocking sensations within a few days of activation." According to the manufacturer, "Advanced Bionics, the HiRes 90K cochlear implant had to be removed from two patients after they experienced pain, overly loud sounds, and/or shocks eight to 10 days after the device was implanted." Advanced Bionics said "that the risk of adverse events is remote and that it is working with the FDA to make changes in the product."

$8.5 MILLION DOLLAR VERDICT IN SUV ROLL-OVER

NATIONAL - A woman was awarded $8.5 million dollars in Ford SUV rollover - product liability case. The month long trial from 2005 centered around a rollover wreck of a Mercury Mountaineer (Ford) near Douglasville, Georgia. The accident killed two people and injured two others. The driver had her right leg amputated just below the knee and her left arm is paralyzed as a result of the accident. She also suffered a brain injury.

The jury heard testimony that a car had tried to get over into the SUV's lane. The SUV swerved into the left lane to avoid the car and when it attempted to go back right, the SUV flipped and rolled over four-and-a-half times.

The jury began deliberating just after 10 a.m. and returned a verdict about 2 p.m. finding that the Mercury Mountaineer built by Ford, was defectively designed and, as a result, was unreasonably prone to rollover.

Ford nearly always appeals large verdicts and will almost certainly do so in this case.

$13.5 MILLION DOLLAR VERDICT in product defect case

NATIONAL - Jurors hit Lasko Products, Inc., with a $13.5 million verdict after a faulty fan motor ignited a blaze in 2005 that killed a 7-year-old boy.

Lasko is the largest fan manufacturer in the United States. They discovered a defect in the China-made fan motors in 1999 and developed corrective technology in 2004. The company did not alert consumers who already had the defective fans nor report the problem to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) until after the boy's death.

http://www.laskoproducts.com/recall/recall_fans.html

Wal-Mart Stores Recalls DVD Players for Fire Hazard

NATIONWIDE - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville, Arkansas, just recalled about 1.5 million Durabrand DVD Players, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced.
The DVD players can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers. To date, Wal-Mart has received 12 reports of DVD players overheating, five of which have resulted in fires that caused property damage. No injuries have yet been reported.

This Durabrand DVD recall involves a single DVD player with a remote control. The device is silver-colored and has a U-shaped opening at the top to insert the DVD. The DVD’s sold for about $29 exclusively at Wal-Mart stores nationwide from January 2006 through July 2009.

The recalled Durabrand DVD Players were manufactured in China.

www.trippfirm.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK ON THE LINK - www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09316.html