Lawsuit for Wrongful Death, Negligence and Breach of Warranty

1001 Words3 Pages

Facts The plaintiff Michael Aloe, widower of Robin Aleo, brought a suit individually and on behalf of his wife’s estate in Massachusetts/ U.S. First Circuit, against SLB Toys, Amazon.com Inc., Toys “R” Us, and Amazon.com Kids, Inc., after his wife dies from injuries sustained when an inflatable pool slide collapsed while she was sliding down. The decedent was attempting to slide down head first in an inflatable, in-ground swimming pool slide imported and sold by Toys R Us. The pool slide collapsed and caused her to strike her head on the concrete deck of the pool. The decedent fractured two cervical vertebrae and suffered a severed spinal cord. She died the following day after she was removed from life support. In 2005, Toys R Us started to purchase a product called Banzai Falls In-Ground Pool Slide from a vendor in China and imported it into the United States for sale. The Banzai Falls In-Ground Pool Slide was made of a tent-like fabric with a rubber-coated sliding surface and was sold with an electric fan used to inflate it. The slide was intended to be installed adjacent to an in-ground swimming pool, so that a person using the slide may descend the slide ramp into the pool. Before the slide was imported into the United States, Bureau Veritas, an independent testing laboratory, was retained by Toys R Us to evaluate it. However, there was no indication that Toys R Us or the vendor in China requested that the slide be tested, or that the slide was tested, for compliance with 16 C.F.R. § 1207 (1978) (§ 1207), a Federal safety standard applicable to all swimming pool slides (Universalhub.com). The Massachusetts Supreme Court’s jury found that Toys R Us was liable for wrongful death, negligence, and breach of warranty and awarded t... ... middle of paper ... ...s best attempts to put a value on Robin Aloe’s life, including the loss of her earnings as well as her companionship, guidance and support to the family. In addition, the punitive damages of $18 million will be the court’s attempt to encouraging Toys R Us and similar companies to avoid importing unreasonably dangerous toys in the future as well as to follow the necessary guidelines before selling those products in the US market. This will help to create business practices that will be favorable for both the consumers and manufacturers. References: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ma-supreme-judicial-court/1644384.html [Accessed 23 April, 2014]. http://www.universalhub.com/2013/michael-aleo-vs-slb-toys-usa-inc-and-others [Accessed 23 April, 2014]. http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/466/466mass398/SJC11294_02_Appellants_Toys_R_Us_Reply_Brief.pdf [Accessed 23 April, 2014].

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