On April 2, 2020, Southern Motion issued a recall for their “Wireless Power” Reclining Furniture. According to the recall, number 20-103, the lithium-ion batteries used to power the reclining furniture can overheat; this results in a fire risk. Approximately 2,300 units of the reclining furniture have been affected by the recall.
The recall specifically involves the “Wireless Power” reclining furniture, which are powered by lithium-ion batteries. The batteries were installed internally as part of an optional equipment upgrade in the custom reclining furniture; the batteries can be hold in a black mounting bracket under the upholstery in the rear of the reclining furniture. The batteries are black, rectangular, and marked with the word “ENouvation.” On the side of the batteries, there are blinking lights that indicate the charge level. The recalled reclining furniture has a white label on the underside of the footrest ottoman with the following information printed: “Options: WP,” serial number, style, cover fabric numbers, and custom production date.
The recently recalled products were sold from January 2019 to September 2019 for prices ranging from $1000 and $2500. The reclining furniture was available at Art Van, Rooms To Go, Nebraska Furniture Mart, and other furniture stores around the country.
According to the recall, the company has received at least six reports of batteries overheating, resulting in fires affecting chairs and floor coverings. However, allegedly no injuries have been reported. The company is recommended that affected consumers immediately stop using the defective product and contact them for a free in-home repair of the product, including a credit for the value of the lithium-ion battery custom option.
Have you been affected by the recall? If so, should you follow these recommendations? If you or a member of your family suffered any type of ham associated with the defective product, you should not even consider contacting the company for a free repair; instead, you should explore your legal options and consider pursuing a product liability claim against Southern Motion.
Depending on the details surrounding the incident and the harm that you and your family suffered, you might have grounds to file a product liability claim. To learn more about your right to file a product liability claim against Southern Motion, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm at your earliest convenience. You can trust the product liability lawyers at Normandie Law Firm to provide you with the guidance that you need.
Normandie Law Firm is a personal injury law firm with many years of experience handling all sorts of claims – including the product liability claims that arise from defective products. Our lawyers are dedicated to providing affected consumers with the legal representation that they need to hold negligent companies accountable for the harm resulting from defective products. If you are ready to discuss the possibility of pursuing a claim with the defective product attorneys at our firm, do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience. Our lawyers are ready to help you sue and recover the compensation that you deserve.
The Severity of the Fire Risk
As explained above, the batteries on the recalled reclining furniture can overheat and result in a fire. Whenever there is a risk of fire, there is also a risk of burn injuries, smoke-inhalation injuries, and significant property damage. Burn injuries are known to range in severity; victims of fires could suffer second-degree, third-degree, and even fourth-degree burns. These burns could result in scarring, a loss of mobility, a loss of feeling, a loss of function, and could even lead to amputations. Smoke-inhalation injuries can result in internal burns (from inhaling harsh chemicals in smoke), oxygen deprivation, brain damage, and loss of consciousness. Both burn injuries and smoke-inhalation injuries could result in mental and emotional suffering; these injuries could also both be fatal. In addition, property damage is also possible. The extent of the property damage resulting from a fire can vary significantly. Besides the loss of the product that was engulfed in flames, other personal property (some of which has emotional value) can also be lost. It is also possible for the homes in which the fire occurred to sustain structural damage.
Regardless of the damages resulting from a defective product, it is important for affected consumers to know that they could take legal action against the company that negligently contributed to the harm suffered. Depending on the details surrounding your claim, you might have grounds to sue.
Understanding Product Liability – You Have the Right to Sue
If you were affected by a defective product, you might have grounds to take legal action based on the concept of product liability. What is product liability? How does the concept of product liability determine your right to sue? Based on product liability, all companies owe their consumers a duty of care – the duty to ensure that their products are completely safe for their consumers to use. This means that these companies have the duty to inspect and test their products to be able to identify and address any of the defects present in their products (specifically, defects in manufacturing, design, and labeling). When companies fail to ensure that their products are safe for consumers, they are breaching their duty of care; they are also putting their consumers at risk of suffering harm. Whenever a defective product harms a consumer, the company that negligently released the defective product to the public could be found liable based on the concept of product liability.
What does this mean? If a company breaches their duty of care, releases a defective product to the public, resulting in harm to consumers, the company could be liable and held accountable. In other words, affected consumers could sue these negligent companies for the damages resulting from the defective product. If you would like to learn more about product liability and your right to sue for the damages resulting from the defective product, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm at your earliest convenience.
Could I Receive Monetary Compensation?
If you pursue a product liability claim, a successful claim outcome could result in the recovery of monetary compensation. Could you really be eligible to recover monetary compensation for the damages caused by the defective product? Depending on the details surrounding your defective product claim, you could recover compensation. The types of compensation that you could recover could include some of the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral and burial costs
- Punitive damages
The type and amount of compensation that you will be eligible to receive will always depend on the details surrounding your claim. If you would like to learn more about the compensation that you could be eligible to receive if your product liability claim against Southern Motion reaches a successful outcome, do not hesitate to contact the experts at our law firm at your earliest convenience. Our defective product attorneys are ready to aggressively fight for your right to recover the compensation that you are owed. Without a doubt, recovering compensation will not reverse the harm caused by the defective product – however, it can help you and your family move on from such a traumatic experience. For more information about the possibility of recovering compensation, do not hesitate to contact our firm at your earliest convenience.
How to Prepare to File a Claim
If you were harmed in any way due to a defective product, there are a number of things that you should to in preparation of filing a claim. Unfortunately, consumers affected by defective products often do not know what they should do to prepare to pursue their claims.
All consumers should be aware of the following recommended steps to follow after being harmed by a defective product:
- Take photos of all physical harm suffered
- Take photos of any property damage resulting from the incident
- Seek medical care for all harm suffered
- Evaluate any property damage
- Take photos of the defective product
- Keep the defective in a safe place as-is (do not tamper with it in any way)
- Contact the company to report the incident, the product defect, and the harm suffered
- Do not agree to a free repair, a free replacement, or a refund (credit)
- Do not agree to return the defective product
- Gather all medical records relevant to the harm caused by the defective product
- Gather documents relevant to property damage (and expenses incurred to fix it)
- Gather documents relevant to the purchase of the defective product
- Seek legal assistance immediately
When you follow the recommendation listed above, you are also gathering the tools that you will need to pursue your claim against the company that negligently contributed to the damages suffered. If you would like to learn more about these steps, do not hesitate to contact our product liability lawyers at your earliest convenience. Our defective product lawyers are ready to guide you every step of the way – helping you successfully pursue your claim.
The Statute of Limitations
If you are interested in pursuing a claim after being affected by a defective product, it is important that you have a thorough understanding of the applicable statute of limitations. What is a statute of limitations? A statute of limitations determines the exact length of time that claimants have to pursue their claims; if claimants do not file within their appropriate deadline, they will lose their right to sue. What is the statute of limitations that applies to your claim? In California, product liability claims are typically subject to a two-year statute of limitations. This means that victims harmed by defective products only have two years to pursue their claims. Under some circumstances, however, exceptions could apply – exceptions that could toll the applicable deadline. To ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the statute of limitations that applies to your product liability claim, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with our experts as soon as possible. Our lawyers will help you file your claim within the appropriate deadline.
Contact Normandie Law Firm Today
If you are interested in learning more about your right to file a product liability claim for the harm that you suffered as a result of the defective Southern Motion reclining furniture, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm at your earliest. The product liability lawyers at Normandie Law Firm are ready to aggressively fight for your right to recover the compensation that you deserve. Our defective product attorneys have many years of experience successfully handling these claims, always representing the best interest of affected consumers. When you allow the experts at our firm to fight for your rights, you can trust that your claim will reach a positive outcome.
At our firm, we offer free legal services – which include free consultations as well as free second opinions. During our free consultations and free second opinions, our product liability lawyers will be available to answer all your questions and address all your concerns. Our lawyers are ready to provide you with all the information that you need to start or continue your product liability claim against Southern Motion or any other company that negligently contributed to the harm that you suffered. If you are ready to benefit from the free legal services offered by our firm, do not hesitate to contact our firm today.
At Normandie Law Firm, we provide a Zero-Fee guarantee – a guarantee that our clients will not be required to pay any upfront legal fees for our legal services. Because our firm is also based on a contingency structure, our clients will not have to pay any legal fees until after reaching a successful outcome. If you do not win, you will not be required to pay anything for our legal services.
Contact Normandie Law Firm today to learn more about your right to sue after being harmed by a defective product. Our lawyers are here to fight for your rights as a consumer.
