Fisher-Price, one of the biggest toy makers in the world, is currently tied up in class-action lawsuits related to their Rock’n’Play infant sleeper. The lawsuits allege that this product is responsible for more than 30 infant deaths. Fisher-Price has recalled 4.7 million infant sleepers as the company strives to deal with the issue. The recall notice was posted on the company’s website on April 12th and calls for parents to return the sleepers immediately for a refund or voucher. Both of the lawsuits filed recently allege that Fisher-Price was long aware of the potential dangers of its product, but refused to announce a recall.

2 Recent Class-Action Suits

There have been 2 class-action suits filed recently in regard to Fisher-Price’s infant sleepers. The first was filed in the U.S. District Court in Buffalo by Samantha Drover-Mundy and Zachary Mundy. The second was filed by Cassandra Mulvey, also in Buffalo’s U.S. District Court. Both lawsuits seek unspecified damages and both suits attempt to create 2 different classes of claimants – one for New York plaintiffs, and the other for plaintiffs elsewhere in the country.

The Drover-Mundy suit in particular claims that Fisher-Price and Mattel put out a dangerous product that was flawed from the initial design phase. According to the suit, the manufacturer did not adhere to established safety standards when designing the Rock’n’Play sleeper. Allegedly, Fisher-Price then continued to market and sell the product, even as reports of infant injuries and deaths came pouring in. The sort of injuries that infants allegedly suffered from the Rock’n’Play product include asphyxiation, flat head syndrome and twisted neck syndrome. As previously mentioned, the Fisher-Price sleeper is also implicated in over 30 infant deaths since 2009.

Different Classes Of Claimants

In addition to the different classes of claimants based on location, the Drover-Mundy suit seeks to establish 2 further classes of claimants. The suit looks to create separate classes for infants that were allegedly injured by the Fisher-Price product and for families that purchased these products. The Drover-Mundy suit and the Mulvey suit will both be heard in the U.S. District Court in Buffalo, where a judge will rule on the attempts to establish different classes of claimants.