Lawsuits Help Force IKEA Recall Of 29 Million Dressers Due to Tip-Overs

PHILADELPHIA, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with IKEA North America, announced the recall of all chests and dressers that do not comply with the stability requirements of the U.S. voluntary industry standard. The recall, which affects 29 million chests and dressers sold by IKEA in the United States, marks the first time IKEA has publicly conceded its awareness of at least 79 injuries and deaths caused by furniture tip-overs, including the tragic deaths of three young children since 2014, all represented by Philadelphia personal injury firm Feldman Shepherd. In each case, the inherently unstable furniture tipped over and crushed the toddlers, pinning them beneath its weight.

The lawsuits filed on behalf of the toddlers' families allege that IKEA designed and sold dangerous and defective dressers, including the MALM dresser line, which do not meet the furniture industry's minimum safety standard for stability. "We applaud the CPSC for taking a tough stand in support of consumer product safety by demanding that IKEA take concrete action to get these defective dressers off the market. It should not have taken repeated injuries and deaths over many years before IKEA finally responded to the potential hazard it placed in millions of American homes," says lead attorney Alan Feldman.

Because of the danger to children presented by unsecured IKEA furniture, IKEA and the CPSC advised consumers to immediately stop using the recalled chests and dressers, and to make sure they are placed in an area that cannot be accessed by children. IKEA will offer a full refund or alternatively provide a wall anchoring repair kit with free in-home installation upon request.

A website has been established to report tip-overs and "near misses" in an effort to aggregate similar incidents http://www.furniture-tip-over-accidents.com. Attorney Alan Feldman can be contacted directly at 215-567-8300 or at [email protected].

Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig LLP (www.feldmanshepherd.com) has its principal office in Philadelphia, PA and handles significant personal injury and complex civil litigation cases throughout the Country. The firm concentrates its practice in cases involving defective products, medical malpractice, unsafe workplaces, birth injuries, and automotive/trucking accidents.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160628/384180 
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151111/286430LOGO

SOURCE Feldman Shepherd

Related Links

http://www.feldmanshepherd.com