KCLawyer
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Defective Mountain Bike Forks
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that Dynacraft BSC Inc., of San Rafael, Calif., has agreed to pay a $1,400,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that it violated federal reporting requirements. CPSC alleged that Dynacraftfailed, on multiple occasions, to inform the government in a timely manner about a serious defect with their mountain bicycles. Between July 1999 and March 2001, Dynacraft imported nearly 250,000 mountain bicycles that were manufactured with two types of defective forks. The forks, which are part of the steering column, can break apart and separate from the front wheel, causing the rider to lose control and suffer serious injuries. Over 50,000 of these bicycles also were made with a defect that caused the pedals to come loose and fall off, resulting in a loss of control by the rider.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Mo. Malpractice Claims Fall But Premiums Rise
The number of medical malpractice claims filed and paid is declining in Missouri, yet physicians' premiums are rising, according to a report from the state Insurance Department. New medical malpractice claims dropped 14 percent in 2003 to what the department said was a record low, and total payouts to medical malpractice plaintiffs fell to $93.5 million in 2003, a drop of about 21 percent from the previous year. "Payments in 2002 took an unexplained jump that vanished in 2003. Unfortunately, this data does not explain why the current medical malpractice crisis in cost and availability has occurred,'' said Insurance Department Director Scott Lakin. The report found that doctors' malpractice insurance premiums rose by 121 percent between 2000 and 2003 while payouts to plaintiffs rose 14 percent during that time.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Federal Court Upholds Reporting Requirement for Companies Major victory for CPSC against company that challenged $300K civil penalty
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing a major court victory that upholds one of CPSC's most potent weapons: the requirement for companies to report dangers and defects with consumer products to the government in a timely manner. The court ruled unanimously that companies who fail to abide by the reporting requirement can be held liable to pay substantial civil penalties.
