$15 Million Awarded To Parents of Santa Cruz Women

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Jessica Navarro

Mercurynews.com is reporting that the parents of two women from Santa Cruz, CA have been awarded $15 in a wrongful death lawsuit against the Enterprise Rent-A-Car company. The lawsuit alleges that a leak in the power steering fluid of the vehicle the two women – 24-year-old Rachel Houck and 20-year-old Jacqueline Houck – were driving caused them to lose control of the vehicle and crash.

 

The vehicle caught fire and the two women were killed. Prior to the settlement, Enterprise Rent-a-Car contended the lawsuit, arguing that it was Rachel Houck’s driving that caused the accident and not a malfunction with their car. However, after contending the lawsuit for five years, Enterprise Rent-A-Car admitted the accident was a direct result of negligence on their part.

When a company offers any type of product or service, it is their sole responsibility to ensure that the product or service they provide is entirely safe for consumers. In this instance, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car company should be held responsible for the accident since it is their responsibility to ensure that the cars they provide for rental are completely safe. Any malfunction or defect in a vehicle should be grounds to remove that car from their lot and repair it before allowing consumers to rent that vehicle again.

 
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Proctor and Gamble Sued Over Zinc Poisoning

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Jessica Navarro

Marketwatch.com reports that two lawsuits have been filed against Proctor and Gamble on behalf of two women diagnosed with neurological ailments that resulted from use of the denture adhesive Fixodent. The report states 45-year-old Faye G. Hobson and 58-year-old Barbara Sue Mendenhall used Fixodent denture adhesive for the dentures they received many years ago. After using the product, the plaintiffs argue they suffered neurological disorders that took away their ability to function normally.

The lawsuit states that the company did not provide adequate warnings to consumers regarding the zinc that is contained in the Fixodent product. It was discovered in 2008 that four other incidents could have occurred involving zinc poisoning resulting from the Fixodent product.

It is a requirement of all companies to include warnings and other information regarding any potential dangers from using their products. Failure to provide adequate warnings of use could create situations such as this one where the company can be held liable for any injuries that consumers incur as a result of using a product. This is especially necessary when the product could potentially affect the victim’s health in any way. This is one specific incident where the consumers should have been warned (and have since been warned) that the product could potentially be a detriment to their health.

 

For more information on recalls and product liability issues, visit Solomon & Relihan's Product Liability information page.
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