Samsung’s Newest Problem
>Samsung announces a safety issue affecting its top loading washing machine
September 28, 2016, Samsung.com
Samsung, maker of the troubled Galaxy Note7 smartphone, has announced a risk of personal injury or property damage that may affect another product. It has notified consumers at its website that certain top-loading washing machines may have “potential safety issues” following reports that some have exploded.
>CPSC issues statement regarding top loading washing machine made by Samsung
September 28, 2016, cpsc.gov
The CPSC is “actively and cooperatively working with Samsung to address safety issues related to certain top-load washing machines made between March 2011 and April 2016.” CPSC is advising consumers to only use the delicate cycle when washing bedding, water resistant and bulky items, explaining that the lower spin speed of the delicate cycle lessens the risk of impact injuries or property damage due to the washing machine becoming dislodged.
>Violent vibrations prompt Consumer Reports to stop recommending Samsung top loading washer
September 29, 2016, komonews.com
Consumer Reports no longer recommends buying Samsung top-loading machine in light of news from Samsung and the Consumer Product Safety Commission about potential safety risks. A Samsung statement said “in rare cases, affected units may experience abnormal vibrations that could pose a risk of personal injury or property damage when washing bedding, bulky or water-resistant times.” Earlier, the consumer rights organization criticized Samsung for not working through the CPSC in announcing its recall of the Galaxy Note7 smartphone which experienced battery related issues resulting in fires and explosions.
New settlement terms for California’s Proposition 65 become effective Oct. 1
September 30, 2016, The National Law Review (Keller Heckman)
Amendments to California’s Proposition 65 settlement terms, penalty amounts, and attorney’s fees in civil actions filed by private persons become effective October 1, 2016. The changes include provisions to ensure that the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment received the civil penalty funds specified in Proposition 65, and to limit the ability of private plaintiffs to divert the statutorily mandated penalty to themselves or to third parties, in the form of additional settlement payments.
Location, location, location: Personal jurisdiction in products liability lawsuits
September 28, 2016, JDSupra (Stinson Leonard Street LLP)
As every manufacturer, distributor, advertiser, or retailer of consumer products likely knows, the location where a lawsuit is brought can have a large impact on the ultimate resolution of the matter. Whether because of perceived advantages in the jury pool, procedural rules, or substantive law, the plaintiffs’ bar consistently attempts to bring lawsuits in favored locations, even if the lawsuit has little or no connection to the forum. Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck a significant blow against forum shopping in its opinion in Daimler AG v. Bauman, which limited the exercise of general jurisdiction against corporate defendants. The California Supreme Court recently adopted a theory that has the potential to restore elements of the pre-Daimler jurisdiction period.
Lithium-ion batteries: Small products big exposures
September 27, 2016, The National Law Review (Wilson Elser)
Lithium-ion batteries are in nearly every product that has become a staple of modern life, such as smart phones, tablets/notebook computers, digital cameras, and headphones. They are also in our transportation system—trains, planes, and automobiles—as well as in other fixtures of modern life. However, if something goes wrong with lithium-ion batteries, it can go catastrophically wrong.
VW CEO hopeful of deal with U.S. authorities by end of year
September 28, 2016, Fortune
Volkswagen chief executive Matthias Mueller is helpful the German automaker can reach agreement by the end of the year with the U.S. government on the size of a fine to settle a criminal investigation of the company’s alleged violations of U.S. clean air laws. Speculation that the U.S. Justice Department will demand a multibillion-dollar fine to settle the investigation into the automaker’s use of illegal software to deceive U.S. environmental regulators sent Volkswagen shares into a tailspin.
Lego outsmarts smartphones as bricks lead UK toy boom chart
September 29, 2016, Bloomberg.com
Founded in an age long before smartphones and computers, Lego is showing the digital world a thing or two when it comes to selling toys. By adding building sets based on themes such as Star Wars, the Danish maker of colored blocks has led a renaissance in U.K. toy sales, which researcher NPD Group estimates will hit a record 3.3 billion pounds ($4.3 billion) in 2016. Since 2010, sales of building sets have increased 121 percent, nearly six times faster than the rest of the British toy market, according to NPD.
Australian online retailers put on notice as ACCC escalates its market surveillance campaigns
September 30, 2016, ACCC
Recent court decisions in Australia have put online traders on notice that the country’s consumer product watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is escalating its market surveillance campaigns focused on babies and children products and clothing. In ordering penalties of $600,000, the court acknowledged that contravention of safety standards involving products used by children demanded a significant penalty for the purpose of deterrence and recording the court’s disapproval of the conduct.
UL launches mobile app for safety regulations in children’s’ apparel
September 26, 2016, Consumer Electronics
Safety science organization, UL, has developed a mobile application, UL ChildAware, specifically designed for the children’s apparel industry. The company says that the application provides practical and verified information on regulations in the EU and the U.S. that reduces the complexity of regulatory and compliance issues.
