On October 3, 2019, Signature Hardware issued a recall for the Luyten Resin Bath Stools. According to the recall, number 20-701, the bath stools can suddenly break while used – posing both fall and injury hazards. About 200 units of the bath stools have been affected by the recall in the U.S.
The recall specifically involves the Luyten white matte resin bath stools; the bath stools measure approximately 16 inches wide by 11 inches deep by 17 inches high. The recalled bath stools have SKU number 398753 (printed on receipts and order confirmations).
The defective bath stools were sold online between October 2013 and July 2019 through www.signaturehardware.com. The bath stools were priced at approximately $250 each.
According to the recall, the company has received at least one report of a leg of the bath stool bending and breaking during use. Another report claims that the bath stool’s legs bending in after being used. Allegedly, no injuries have been reported.
The company is suggesting that all consumers who purchased the defective bath stools contact the company for a full refund for the price of the product.
Although the company claims that no injuries have been reported in associated with their defective bath stools, it is possible that there have been many unreported incidents accompanied by unreported harm. Do you own the bath stool involved in the recall? Did you ever fall and suffer harm as a result of the defective bath stool? If so, you should avoid seeking a refund from the company – rather, you should seek legal assistance.
If you were injured by a defective product, you might have grounds to hold the company accountable for the harm that you suffered. If you would like to learn more about your right to take legal action against the company that negligently contributed to the harm that you or a member of your family suffered, do not hesitate to contact the experts at Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible.
Normandie Law Firm is a personal injury law firm with many years of experience handling all sorts of claims, always dedicated to representing the best interests of affected parties. If you would to discuss your claim with our lawyers, contact us today – our lawyers are ready to fight for your right to recover monetary compensation for the harm that you suffered.
The Importance of Bath Stools
According to the CDC, there are more than 200,000 non-fatal bathroom injuries in the U.S. every year – the majority of these bathroom injuries occur in the bathtubs or showers. Bath stools are supposed to reduce the risk of falling in the tub or in the shower. Anyone can slip and fall in the bath or shower; however, there are a number of people at are at higher risk of slipping and falling while showering or taking a bath. These parties at higher risk include the disabled, those recovering from injuries and wearing casts or using crutches, those recovering from back injuries or back surgeries, and the elderly. Bath stools are designed to keep these people from suffering any harm while showering or bathing. The defective Signature Hardware bath stools, however, failed to keep consumers from harm. On the contrary, the defective bath stools made it more likely for falls and injuries to occur.
Is Signature Hardware Liable for the Harm Caused by Defective Bath Stools?
Who is liable for the harm caused by defective products? Can a company be blamed for the harm directly related to their defective products? To understand liability in relation to companies and their defective products, it is important to have a clear understanding of the concept of product liability.
Based on product liability, all companies have a duty of care towards their consumers. Companies have a duty to ensure that all their products are safe to be used by their consumers. This means that companies have to actively test and inspect their products – to ensure that they are safe to be used by their consumers at all times. Whenever companies identify any hazards that make their products unsafe for their consumers, they must take immediate action to ensure that they address all hazards – the goal is always to ensure that their products are always safe to be used by their consumers.
So, companies have a duty of care towards their consumers. When companies fail to identify and address hazards and fail to ensure that their products are safe for consumer use, they are breaching their duty of care towards their consumers. This breach of duty could cause an incident (the bath stools breaking while being used) which could directly lead to injuries. Whenever a consumer suffers injuries that were caused by a breached duty of care, the company could be held accountable for all the harm suffered.
There are three specific categories in which defects could be present – labeling, design, and manufacturing. If the defect that contributed to the harm that you suffered was present in the product’s labeling, design, or manufacturing, you will likely have grounds to pursue a claim.
If you would like to learn more about your right to pursue a claim against Signature Hardware for the harm that you suffered because of their defective product, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm at your earliest convenience. Our product liability lawyers are ready to evaluate your claim and provide you with all the information that you need to start or continue your claim against the company that negligently contributed to the harm that you suffered.
Could I Recover Compensation for harm caused by Defective Products?
If the harm that you or a member of your family suffered was caused by a defective product, you could definitely file a claim – depending on the details of your claim, you might also be eligible to recover some compensation. The specific type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to recover for the harm that you suffered will always depend on the details of your claim.
Some of the categories of compensation that could be available for recovery include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral and burial costs
- Punitive damages
As mentioned above, the type and amount of compensation that you are eligible to receive will always depend on the details of your claim; therefore, it is essential that you discuss your claim with an attorney. When you allow the product liability experts at Normandie Law Firm to handle your claim, you could be certain that there will always be someone aggressively fighting for your right to recover the compensation that you deserve. Our product liability attorneys will not rest until you recover the highest amount of compensation available for your claim.
To learn more about the type and amount of compensation that you might be eligible to recover, if your product liability claim against Signature Hardware reaches a successful outcome, do not hesitate to contact our firm immediately – our lawyers are ready to provide you with all the representation that you need to file your claim and recover the compensation to whch you are entitled.
Is My Product Liability Claim Subject to a Deadline?
Did you know that you could lose your right to sue? All claims are subject to strict deadlines. These deadlines determine the specific length of time that claimants have to pursue their claims; the deadlines essentially ensure that all claims are filed promptly. This is called a statute of limitations. All claims, including product liability claims, are subject to a statute of limitations. In the state of California, product liability claims are subject to a two-year statute of limitations, meaning that claimants only have two years to file their claims. Statutes of limitations establish strict deadlines; however, exceptions could apply. Therefore, it is important to discuss the statute of limitations that applies to your claim with an expert immediately.
What Should I Do If I was harmed by a Defective Bath Stool?
After being harmed by a defective product, it is essential that you follow very specific actions to preserve your right to take legal action. Unfortunately, many people lose their right to sue because they fail to follow the appropriate steps necessary to reach a successful claim outcome. Anyone involved in an incident that results in injury should take immediate action; when a defective product is involved, very specific actions are required.
Consider the following list:
- Seek medical care for the harm suffered
- Take photos of any injuries that are visible
- Take photos of the scene of your accident before anything is moved (the shower/bath with the stool in the same position it was left after the incident)
- Take photos of the defective product (the broken or bent legs should be clear)
- Immediately stop using the defective bath stool
- Contact Signature Hardware to report the defective product, your incident, and the harm that you suffered (avoid saying anything that could be used against you)
- Do not agree to a free repair or a refund.
- Do not send the defective product to the company.
- Do not tamper with the defective product in any way (leave it as-is)
- Gather all records (purchase records and medical records)
- Seek legal assistance from a defective product lawyer immediately
If you would like to learn more about the different steps that you should take after being harmed by a defective product to protect your right to pursue a claim and fight for your right to recover compensation, do not hesitate to contact our law firm today.
You Can Trust Normandie Law Firm
If you or a member of your family suffered any type of harm associated with the defective bath stools that Signature Hardware recently recalled, you can trust the experts at our firm to provide you with the legal assistance that you need to recover what you are rightfully owed. At Normandie Law Firm, we are dedicated to helping affected consumers hold negligent companies liable for the harm caused by their defective product. Our lawyers have many years of experience handling defective product claims and are ready to guide you towards the successful outcome that you deserve.
If you would like to discuss your claim with our product liability experts, do not hesitate to contact us immediately. Our firm offers free legal services, which include free consultations and free second opinions. During these free legal services, our lawyers will be available to answer all your questions and address all your concerns – ensuring that you have access to all the information that you need to reach a positive claim outcome.
Our free legal services are available as part of our Zero-Fee guarantee – which ensures that our clients (the innocent parties harmed by defective products) never have to worry about paying any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. Our law firm is also strictly based on a contingency structure. Our contingency structure ensures that our clients will never have to pay anything until their claims reach successful outcomes, meaning that if you do not win, you will not be required to pay anything.
If you are ready to benefit from our free legal services and learn more about your right to pursue a claim against Signature Hardware for their defective bath stools, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with our experts immediately.
