New Jersey Personal Injury Blog
Johnson & Johnson Faces FDA Sanctions and Fines for Delayed Defect Reporting
The ongoing quality issues with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) products has prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct an investigation into yet another department of the this company, according to The Associated Press.
The current department of J&J that has fallen under the scrutiny of the FDA is Animas Corp., which makes insulin pumps for diabetics. Animas has been given an FDA warning that if it does not resolve its violations in a timely manner, it faces fines, as well as other sanctions. These violations include: delaying disclosure of serious injuries to patients and selling faulty insulin pumps. The faulty pumps include the OneTouch Ping and 2020.
Animas has until January 20, 2012 to provide an explanation for why it continued to sell pumps known to fail and a plan to resolve its failure and/or delay in timely reporting of incidents where the faulty pumps may have contributed to or caused serious injury or death. The company had never reported one serious injury complaint and delayed reporting two others. All three patients were hospitalized with respiratory failure, dangerously high blood sugar, coma, and diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening complication resulting from a lack of insulin.
The New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson has recalled almost 30 products since September 2009, including millions of bottles of Motrin, Tylenol, and other non-prescription medications, defective hip implants, prescription medications for HIV and seizures, and contact lenses.
When product manufacturers fail to properly test, evaluate and report with regard to the safety of a product, and/or fails to protect consumers and patients from known defective products, they may be liable for any injuries and damages resulting from the use of those products.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product in New Jersey, you may be entitled to pursue a civil lawsuit to recover economically for the injuries and other damages sustained.
The experienced NJ defective product attorneys at Blume Goldfaden can examine the details of your potential case to determine whether you may have a meritorious claim. Call us for a no-cost consultation at (973) 635-5400.
Avoid Winter-Related Recalled Products, Stay Safe
Every year, people are injured by defective or unsafe products nationwide, and every season, there is a particular group of recalled products that should be avoided.
This winter, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges consumers to check if the winter weather-related product they plan to purchase or use had been previously recalled. Some of the cold weather-related recalled products that consumers should avoid for their own safety and that of their family include:
- Meijer Touch Point Oscillating Ceramic Heaters – 13,000 units were recalled due to a defect in the oscillating mechanism which could short out, posing a fire hazard.
- Flow Pro, Airtech, Aloha Breeze, and Comfort Essentials Heaters – 2.2 million units were recalled due to a malfunction that could cause smoking, burning, overheating, melting, and fire.
- Lasko Portable Electric Heaters – 107,500 units were recalled due to a defect in an electrical connection in the base of the unit, which can overheat, melt, and subsequently expose the electrical connection, posing a fire hazard.
- Honeywell Electric Baseboard and Fan Heater Thermostats – 77,000 units were recalled due to an overheating defect which could cause them to smoke and melt, posing a burn injury hazard to consumers.
- GE Zoneline Air Conditioners and Heaters – 90,600 units were recalled due to an electrical component defect in which the component could fail, posing a fire hazard.
Unfortunately defective products are often not recalled in a timely manner before having already caused numerous injuries.
At Blume Goldfaden, our experienced defective consumer product attorneys in New Jersey are committed to investigating and comprehensively pursuing meritorious claims for our injured clients.
If you have been injured by a defective or unsafe product in New Jersey, contact us at (973) 635-5400 to discuss your potential claim.
Target Recalls Over 200,000 Step Stools due to Reports of Fall Injuries
The Target Corporation, in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is voluntarily recalling 206,000 Circo and Do Your Room (DYR) step stools with storage as they have been reported to collapse or break under the user’s weight, creating a falling hazard. The affected stools were sold at Target stores across the nation and on Target.com from January 2007 through October 2010.
There have been 26 reports of breaking or collapsing stools, including 14 involving children, 7 involving adults and 5 involving users of unknown age. Two of the adults suffered fractured wrists attempting to brace themselves against the fall. One of these adults also fractured her pelvis and hip. Additional injuries included scrapes and bruising to 6 children and 1 adult.
The recalled product is a wooden step stool with two steps, available in natural, red, white and honey colors. The Circo step stool includes a lidded storage compartment as part of the bottom step. The DYR step stool includes a lidded storage compartment as part of the top step. Both brands of stools are approximately 13 inches tall, 13 5/8 inches wide, and 14 1/8 inches deep. The brand name and UPC number are printed on a label affixed to the underside of the stool. The recalled stools include:
- Circo, white with UPC number 490970403046, sold between June 2009 and February 2010, or 180970208597, sold between February 2010 and October 2010;
- Circo, natural with UPC number 490970403053, sold between June 2009 and February 2010, or 180970208610, sold between February 2010 and October 2010;
- Circo, natural and red with UPC number 490970403060, sold between June 2009 and February 2010, or 180970208665, sold between February 2010 and October 2010;
- DYR, natural with UPC number 097168014338, sold between January 2007 and August 2009; and
- DYR, honey with UPC number 390970402622, sold between January 2007 and August 2009.
Consumers should stop using these step stools immediately and return them to any Target store for a full refund.
When manufacturers do not take adequate care in the production or design of their products, consumers are at greater risk for injury. If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective or poorly designed household product, the experienced New Jersey hazardous household product attorneys at Blume Goldfaden can help you determine whether your claim has merit and whether you may be entitled to compensation. To learn more about your legal options, contact us for a no-cost consultation at 973-635-5400.