Defective Product Update: GM Ignition Switch Recall

GM announced four new recalls today, including over 500,000 Chevrolet Camaros, due to faulty ignition switches. According to the The Wall Street Journal: “Chief Executive Mary Barra is set to return to Capitol Hill Wednesday to answer questions on why it took the company so long to recall the vehicles. In response to the delay, the auto maker intensified the review of its recall process. The company has now issued 38 recalls covering 16.5 million vehicles throughout North America."  The ignition switch problem is similar to, though said to be different from, the Chevrolet Cobalt problem.  Apparently the Camaro switch can be bumped from the run position to another position that would cut power to the airbags and electronic steering.

Medical device recall: aluminum tainted dialysis fluid

Massachusetts based manufacturer NxStage Medical Inc. recalled 140,000-150,000 units of concentrated dialysis fluid because it contained excess aluminum. Intended for portable home systems used for kidney dialysis, the tainted fluid was made between April 2013 and February 2014.  According to the Boston Globe: "…the recall has shocked and upset patients, who, because their diseased kidneys can’t clean wastes from blood, rely on NxStage’s products almost daily…Patients said bad concentrate raised their aluminum levels to two, three, or even four times their normal levels, causing them to feel anemic and sick."

Product Liability Deskbook Released

Tom and I are proud to announce that the new Washington State Association for Justice Product Liability Deskbook has hit the shelves. The 24 chapter Deskbook is a comprehensive treatise, covering all areas of product liability litigation in Washington State. We both authored chapters in the Deskbook; Tom wrote on post-manufacture liability and I wrote on successor liability.  Now-retired SGB attorney Janet Rice wrote a chapter on evidentiary issues in product liability.

We were honored that the WSAJ—our state’s premier trial lawyer organization—asked us to write for the Deskbook.  SGB has a long, proud history of representing people injured by defective products and we saw this as an opportunity to further that service. These chapters demonstrate our commitment to staying on the cutting edge of product safety and liability issues and to providing high-caliber legal services to our clients.

We hope that our work, coupled with the work of the other fine Washington attorneys who authored chapters, will help the citizens of Washington obtain justice when faulty products fail and, ultimately, make our state a safer place to live.

Dangerous Drug Alert: Pradaxa lawsuit settles for $650 Million

The German company Boehringer Ingelheim, the makers of the blood thinning drug Pradaxa, will reportedly settle 4,000 dangerous drug lawsuits brought by consumers who alleged that the drug caused serious and sometimes fatal bleeding. According to the New York Times, Institute of Safe Medication Practices implicated Pradaxa in more than 1,000 deaths. Pradaxa generated $1.6 billion in revenue last year.

Dangerous Product Update: GM to Pay Record Fine

General Motors will pay a $35 million fine to the U.S. Department of Transportation for delaying recalls of small cars with a potentially deadly ignition switch.  According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, “people were driving cars with a dangerous safety defect.  Crashes happened, and people died.  What GM did was break the law.” The ten year failure to recall lead to the death of at least 13 people and an ultimate recall of approximately 2.6 million vehicles. Video of the statement is available at USA Today. According to Foxx, the $35 million fine was the maximum penalty under the law.  “Safety is our top priority, and today’s announcement puts all manufacturers on notice that they will be held accountable if they fail to quickly report and address safety-related defects,” said Foxx.