IKEA Sued Over "Feeble" Malm Dresser Recall
IKEA has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging that it issued a "feeble" recall of Malm dressers that are prone to tipping over, resulting in injuries and deaths to children, according to Law360 [1]. Plaintiffs Diana and John Dukich said that Ikea sold Malm dressers and other similar models that are front-heavy and unstable.
Despite the products being recalled in 2016 and 2017, Ikea's actions were inadequate and most consumers were never made aware of the recall, according to the lawsuit. The case is: Dukich et al. v. Ikea US Retail LLC el al., case number 2:20-cv-02182, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
IKEA to Pay $46 Million to Parents of Toddler Killed by MALM Dresser
The Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has agreed to pay a $46 million settlement in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the parents of a California toddler who was crushed to death in May 2017 when a MALM dresser tipped over and fell on him, according to the New York Times [2].
The lawsuit was filed in state court in Pennsylvania by Plaintiffs Craig and Joleen Dudek, who argued that IKEA knew that its MALM line of dressers were dangerous, defectively designed, and prone to tipping over, yet failed to adequately warn the public about these risks.
IKEA in June 2016 began offering free wall-anchoring kits to customers who had purchased MALM dressers, but the Dudeks claim they were never informed of the offer, according to the lawsuit. In Nov. 2017, IKEA recalled the MALM and other models of chests and drawers due to serious tip-over hazards after receiving reports [3] including:
- 186 reports of tip-over incidents involving the MALM chests and dressers
- 91 reports of injuries to children
- 113 reports of tip-overs with other recalled IKEA chests and dressers
- 53 reports of injuries to children
- 8 reports of child tip-over related deaths with the recalled chests and dressers.
In 2016, IKEA reached a $50 million settlement [4] with 3 other families whose children were killed by furniture that tipped over and fell on them.
IKEA Dresser Deaths
- May 2017: A 2-year-old boy in Buena Park, California, died after he became trapped beneath an unanchored MALM 3-drawer chest that tipped over.
- February 2016: A 22-month-old boy from Apple Valley, Minnesota died after an unanchored MALM 6-drawer chest fell on top of him.
- June 2014: A 23-month-old boy from Snohomish, Washington, died after he became trapped beneath an unanchored MALM 3-drawer chest that tipped over.
- February 2014: A 2-year-old boy from West Chester, Pennsylvania, died after an unanchored MALM 6-drawer chest tipped over fatally pinning him against his bed.
- September 2011: A 2-year-old boy from Woodbridge, Virginia, died after an unanchored MALM 3-drawer chest tipped over and trapped him between the dresser drawers.
Deaths with other model IKEA chests and dressers include:
- July 1989: A 20-month-old girl from Mt. Vernon, Virginia, died after an unanchored GUTE 4-drawer chest tipped over and pinned her against the footboard of a youth bed.
- March 2002: A 2½-year-old boy from Cranford, New Jersey, died after an unanchored RAKKE 5-drawer chest tipped over and fatally pinned him to the floor.
- October 2007, a 3-year-old girl from Chula Vista, California, died after a KURS 3-drawer chest tipped over and fatally pinned her to the floor.
Source: U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC)
Other IKEA lawsuits:
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Do I Have an IKEA Dresser Recall Lawsuit?
The Product Liability Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in IKEA Dresser Recall Lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new injury and death cases in all 50 states.
If your child or other loved one was harmed, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to a settlement by filing a suit and we can help.
