Lawsuits you should know about

Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has recalled many over-the-counter drugs due to a moldy smell that was making consumers ill.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received over 70 complaints from consumers who because ill with nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea after noticing the odor. The smell was due to chemicals used to treat the wooden pallets leaking into the bottles.

The number of bottles of recalled medications is unknown, but the recall includes the following caplet and geltab medications: regular and extra-strength Tylenol, Children’s Tylenol, 8-Hour Tylenol, Tylenol Arthritis Pain, Tylenol PM, Children’s Motrin, Motrin IB, Benadryl Rolaids, Simply Sleep, and St. Joseph’s aspirin.

Only certain batches were recalled. To see a complete list of recalled medications with images, bar codes, NDC codes, UPC codes, and lot numbers, please see the McNeil Consumer Healthcare page.

If you have one of these medications, stop using it and contact the company at (888) 222-6036 for a refund.

Chrysler Group LLC has recalled 24,177 vehicles due to a defective part that could cause the failure of the brakes. The recall affects the 2010 Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Commander, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and 2009-2010 Dodge Ram trucks. The Dodge Ram Heavy Duty truck was named 2010 Truck of the Year by Motor Trend magazine. The 2010 Chrysler Sebring and Avenger were named by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety as Top Safety Picks for 2010.

It is believed the problem is that the brake booster rod retaining clips in the cars and SUVs are improperly formed and that they may not have been installed at all in Ram trucks. Lack of properly working brake booster rod retaining clips could result in brake failure without any warning.

So far, there have been on injuries reported due to the faulty clips, but the problem was noticed during testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Chrysler has scheduled the recalls, which are expected to cost more than $250 million dollars, for this month. Notices will be mailed to the owners of the recalled vehicles.

Graco Children’s Products, Inc. has recalled 1.5 million strollers due to reports of children having their fingertips lacerated and amputated as a result of stroller use. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) received reports of five children suffering amputations and two suffering lacerations after getting their fingers caught in the canopy hinge of the strollers.

The models being recalled by Graco are the Passage, Alano, and Spree Strollers and Travel Systems. All the recalled strollers were made in China and sold between October 2004 and December 2009 at AAFES, Burlington Coat Factory, Babies “R” Us, Toys “R” Us, Kmart, Fred Meyer, Meijers, Navy Exchange, Sears, Target, Walmart and other retailers throughout the United States for between $80 and $200.

This recall only affects Graco strollers with “a plastic, joined hinge mechanism that has indented canopy positioning notches.” The following are the model numbers for the recalled strollers. Model numbers can be found above the back wheels:

6303MYC, 6303MYC3, 7240DNB, 7240DNB2, 7240MKL2, 7240MKL3, 7F02GLM3, 6320IVY, 6320LAU, 7241DDH2, 7241DHO3, 7F04TAY3, 6330CAP, 6330THR, 6330THR3, 7255CLP, 7255CLP2, 7255CRA2, 7255CRA3, 7255CSA3, 7255GPK3, 7255GRN, 7255GRN2, 7255JJB3, 7255ORC2, 7255WLO2, 7255WLO3, 7F07EMA3, 6F00QIN3, 6F00RRY3, 7256CLO2, 7256SPM2, 7256SPM3, 7F08DSW3, 7F08LAN3, 6F03GLN3, 7260BAN, 7260BAN2, 7260BAN3, 7260MRA2, 7260MRA3, 7260PKR, 7260PKR2, 7G00DLS3, 7G00DLS4, 6G10CSE3, 7270BIA, 7270BIA2, 7G01CRL3, 7235GGA, 7235GGA2, 7E01JON2, 7E01JON3, 7G04KRA3, 7236CDR2, 7F00LPE3, 7F00RSH3, 7G05GPR3, 7G06WSR3, 7237HOL2, 7237HOL3, 7F01FOR3, 7G07ABB3, 7G07BAT3

If you have one of these strollers, please stop using it and contact Graco for a free protective cover repair kit by calling (800) 345-4109 or by visiting their web page.

A recall has been issued that affects approximately 50 million shades. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said the Roman-style shades and roll-up blinds being recalled have been involved in the strangulation death of five children. In addition, 16 children have been nearly strangled. The problem with the Roman-style shades is caused by the space between the inner cord and the shade fabric while the roll-up blinds have cords with large loops that can become caught around the children’s necks.

The blinds have been sold at such retailers as Ace Hardware, Big Lots, JCPenney, Pottery Barn, Ross, The Land of Nod, Wal-Mart, and West Elm. JCPenney is recalling over 2 million shade and blinds sold in the store, through the catalog, and online between 1999 and October 2009, for between $10 and $500. Wal-Mart is recalling over a million of the Roman-style shades and roll-up blinds sold in the store between January 1999 and September 2009 for between $6 and $30. Pottery Barn is recalling over 300,000 Roman-style shades sold in the store and online between January 1998 and October 2009 for between $25 and $180.

The CPSC is working with the Window Covering Safety Council to repair the Roman-style blinds by replacing the cord with rings, which will require the consumer to manually lift the rings to raise the shade. The repair kit will provide a device for the roll-up blinds that will cause the cord to separate into two pieces if a child’s head gets caught in it.

Those needing a repair kit should contact the Window Covering Safety Council on their web page or by calling (800) 506-4636. Wal-Mart consumers with roll-up blinds made of bamboo should return the blinds to Wal-Mart for a full refund.

Unilever, the maker of Slim-Fast, has voluntarily recalled 10 million cans of the popular weight-loss drink due to possible bacterial contamination. It is believed the some cans may be tainted with Bacillus cereus, which causes diarrhea, vomiting, cramping, and nausea. According to officials at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this recall may affect as many as 10 million cans of Slim-Fast distributed in the U.S.

The recall affects all flavors of Slim-Fast ready-to-drink cans, regardless of best-by date or UPC number. Other Slim-Fast products, including powdered shakes and snack bars, are not involved in the recall.

Unilever notified the FDA of a possible contamination on Dec. 2 and has shut down production until the problem can be identified and corrected. The tainted cans were produced at a facility in Covington, Tenn. and the FDA is investigating that location.

All unused cans of Slim-Fast should be discarded. For a full refund, contact Unilever at (800) 896-9479.

Stork Craft Manufacturing has issued the largest crib recall in American history after reports of four infants suffocating due to hardware problems. It is estimated that 1.2 million of the cribs have been sold in the U.S. and almost 1 million in Canada since 1993. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recall Monday. This is Stork Craft’s second major recall this year after having recalled 500,000 cribs in January 2009 for metal bracket problems.

The CPSC announced that there have been four reports of infants being caught in the drop side detachment and suffocating to death. There have also been 110 reports of infants being injured from the crib. The problem lies with both the hardware, which can break or deform, and assembly problems.

The cribs were sold between January 1993 and October 2009 at such retail outlets as BJ’s Wholesale Club, Sears, Wal-Mart, and Target and Costco online for between $100 and $400. You can locate the manufacture date, model number, crib name, country of origin (Canada, China, or Indonesia), and firm’s name (Stork Craft Baby or Storkling) by looking on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board. Some of the cribs have the Fisher-Price logo on the crib’s teething rail. Cribs without drop sides or those with metal rod drop-side hardware are not involved in the recall.

If you have a Stork Craft crib that has been purchased since 1993, you can contact Stork Craft at (877) 274-0277 or visit their web page (http://www.storkcraft.com) to receive a free repair kit.

Homelite Consumer Products Inc., of Anderson, S.C. has issued a voluntary recall of their Homelite Mighty Lite backpack blowers due to a fuel tank leak. This leak can pose a fire hazard for consumers. So far, Homelite has received 18 individual reports of leaking fuel tanks, one report in which a consumer suffered from minor skin irritation.

Approximately 85,000 of the red and black Homelite Mighty Lite backpack blowers have been recalled. The blowers were sold between September 2007 and October 2009 at retailers such as Home Depot stores and various retailers of refurbished products including Direct Tools Factory Outlets, CPO Homelite, Gardner, Tap Enterprises, Isla Supply and Heartland America stores. The retail price was from $90 to $140 each. The model numbers affected by the recall are:

Product Model Manufacturing Date Codes Range
UT08580 ATK1820001 through ATK3659999
UT08580A ATL1530001 through ATL3669999
ATM0010001 through ATM1749999

Product model and manufacturing date codes can be located on the blower’s data label. This label is located on the red plastic housing that is above the choke knob. If the product has a green dot on the outside of the package or the letters CA on the fuel tank, it is not a part of the recall.

If you have a recalled blower, please discontinue use and contact Homelite Consumer Product, Inc. for a free fuel tank replacement. The company may be contacted at (800) 242-4672 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. You can also contact the company through their web site at http://www.homelite.com.

Belkin International Inc., of Compton, Calif. has issued a voluntary recall of its SurgeMaster Surge Protectors sold between September 2003 and December 2007. These surge protectors were recently recalled due to the fact that the molding of the plastic rotating plug could become cracked or detached, leading to a possible shock hazard. While no complaints, including reports of injuries, about the plug have been received from consumers, Belkin still feels the product should be recalled to prevent any potential damage.

SurgeMasters with the model number F9G930-10, F9G930v10, F9G930-10-W and F9G930-10-SN (all manufactured in 2003) are part of this recall. Models F9G930-10-GRY and F9G930fc10G-CL, which are grey in color, are not part of the recall. To locate the model number of the surge protector, look on the underside of the unit.

Approximately 68,700 of these surge protectors have been sold by both independent distributions throughout the nation as well as online at http://www.belkin.com. The cost of the items sold was approximately $50.

If you have one of these recalled SurgeMasters, please contact Belkin at 1-800-952-1465 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PST Monday through Friday or visit the company’s web site at http://www.belkin.com/recall.

Neocate Infant Specialized formula has undergone a voluntary recall by Nutricia North America, Inc. The recall involves approximately 3,700 cans from Lot #P91877 only. The cans being recalled were distributed between September 1, 2009 and September 11, 2009.

The recall is due to a blending error resulting in the formula containing lower protein levels than as listed on the label. The recalled formula contains 1.75g protein/100kcal as opposed to the 1.8g protein/100kcal recommended as the U.S. infant formula minimum requirement. The recalled formula still meets the World Health Organization’s minimum protein requirement and it does not present any immediate risk of injury or potentially harmful health consequences. However, long term use of the formula by certain infants could affect the growth curve.

The hypoallergenic dry powder Neocate Infant Specialized formula is packaged in a 14 ounce can and typically only prescribed for infants by health care professionals. The lot number is located on the bottom of the can as well as on the case label. Contact Nutricia North America, Inc. helpline at 1-800-365-7354 then choose option 8-6061 any time Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm (EDT).

No other Neocate products are affected by this recall.

The over the counter intranasal cold remedy called Zicam was recalled by manufacturer in June of 2009. Zicam is a product that was designed to be used to decrease the duration of the common cold. It was introduced into the marketplace in 1999 by Zicam, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. The products that were affected were Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs Kids Size.

On June 16, 2009 the FDA issued a public safety alert regarding the three Zicam products listed above. The FDA reported that it had received 130 reports of anosmia from people who have used the product. Anosmia is the inability to smell. In the news release issued by the FDA, the agency advises that this anosmia might be long lasting, or even permanent.

According to the information provided by the FDA in some of the cases of anosmia reported, the condition was experienced by a person after the first dose. Other users indicated their loss of their sense of smell happened after using the product multiple times.

Right now there are several lawsuits pending in federal court against the maker of Zicam. They allege that the active ingredient in these cold remedies, zinc gluconate, produces a caustic action on the nasal passages, and over time could lead to anosmia.  On September 24, 2009 there will be arguments heard in a Richmond, VA court over whether all pending and future Zicam lawsuits should be consolidated in one federal court as an MDL.  MDL is a legal procedure where one judge oversees all pending civil cases of a similar type.