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DOJ Launches Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program

In 2024, the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division launched the Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program to combat corporate crime. The Corporate Whistleblower Pilot Program will run through 2027, before being re-evaluated, and is modeled on other successful whistleblower programs like those administered by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The Pilot Program is designed …

Tabletop Fire Pits Can Explode, Cause Serious Burn Injuries and Death

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to immediately stop using alcohol-burning or other liquid fuel tabletop fire pits following two deaths and at least 60 injuries in the past five years. Tabletop fire pits — also called fire pots, miniature fireplaces and personal fireplaces — are small, portable fireplaces that can be placed on a tabletop or …

NHTSA Issues Final Rule for Auto Whistleblower Program

On December 12, 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published the final rule formalizing its whistleblower program, as required by the Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Act. The final rule deviates little from the rule proposed by NHTSA in April 2023, which addressed definitions of key program terms, tip-filing requirements, award applications, how decisions are made on award applications, …

SEC Obtains Orders for a Record $8.2 Billion in Financial Remedies in Fiscal Year 2024

In fiscal year 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed 583 enforcement actions and obtained orders for $8.2 billion in financial remedies—the most ever obtained by the SEC in a single fiscal year. The $8.2 billion consisted of $6.1 billion in disgorgement and prejudgment interest and $2.1 billion in civil penalties. The SEC also obtained orders barring 124 individuals from serving …

When Fun Toys Kill: The Products Liability Case Against Water Beads

Water beads are sold for children as toys, educational materials, art materials, sensory tools, and as projectiles for “gel blaster” guns. Adults use them as decorative, crafting and gardening supplies. When these small, colorful beads are swallowed by children, they do not simply get digested and pass through a child’s body. Instead, they absorb fluids and expand to many times …

The Products Liability Case Against Tianeptine: The Deadly “Dietary Supplement” Found at Your Local Store

You see them displayed by the cash register. Neptune’s Fix and other tianeptine-based products promise to help brain function, treat anxiety and depression, and even manage opioid addiction. Unbeknownst to many consumers, these products have been associated with severe adverse medical events, including seizures and even deaths. This article, written by John M. Dodig and Jason A. Daria and published in …

Fisher-Price Recalls Snuga Swings After Five Infant Deaths

In a recall that one federal safety regulator has characterized as “doomed to fail,” Fisher-Price is offering its customers $25 to remove components from its Snuga Swings — which have been linked to five infant deaths — instead of offering a meaningful remedy that would get this unsafe product out of people’s homes. On October 10, 2024, Fisher-Price announced the recall …

Lawmakers Seek to Address Supersized Vehicles That Kill Pedestrians

Federal lawmakers have introduced legislation aimed at reducing the number of pedestrians who are killed and seriously injured in crashes with supersized passenger vehicles. Recent government data show that there are more than 40,000 fatal car crashes per year in the United States. Between 2013 and 2022, pedestrian fatalities increased 57 percent from 4,779 to 7,522, according to the National Highway …

CPSC Warns Against Two Cradle Swings That Pose Suffocation and Fall Hazards

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning parents and caregivers to stop using DNYSYSJ and OUKANING cradle swings due to the risk of suffocation and falls. According to the CPSC, the cradle swings violate federal safety regulations for bassinets and cradles. The warning, issued on August 15, 2024, states that the “folds” of the cradle swing’s segmented sleeping pad …

Peloton Treadmill Recall

Peloton Finally ‘Taps into Motivation’ to Protect Children from Dangerous Tread+ Treadmills

June 9th, 2021

After initially refusing to recall its Tread+ treadmills when they were linked to one child’s death and multiple reports of injuries, Peloton has had a mea culpa and is finally taking steps to ensure the safety of its customers, their children and their pets. For …

Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrian Deaths: How Race, Income and Age Affect Your Chances of Being Hit by a Car

April 9th, 2021

The tragedy of pedestrian deaths is disproportionately falling upon people of color, people from lower-income communities and older adults, according to a new report released by urban planning nonprofit Smart Growth America. The Dangerous by Design 2021 report, released in March, found that from 2010 to …

Dangerous Road Design

How Roosevelt Boulevard Tore Apart a Family with Its Dangerous Road Design

April 9th, 2021

In a presentation that gave voice to the human toll of dangerously designed roads, Latanya Byrd ― whose niece and three young nephews were killed in July 2013 while attempting to cross Roosevelt Boulevard ― shared her family’s story in a webinar hosted on March …

Home Elevator Accidents

Residential Elevators Are Killing Small Children, and Little Is Being Done to Stop It

February 9th, 2021

After more than 75 years of inaction and pushback from the residential elevator industry, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has finally approved its first-ever safety recall aimed at protecting children from deadly accidents in which they become entrapped in the door gap of home …

Unsafe Imported Products

Pandemic Relief Law Seeks to Protect Against Unsafe Toys (And Other Products) Entering the U.S. in the Time of COVID-19

January 14th, 2021

Tucked deep within the nearly 6,000-page pandemic relief bill that was signed into law during the waning days of the 116th Congress is a provision that addresses a steep drop in safety inspections for toys and other consumer products entering the U.S. during the COVID-19 …

Nursing Home Neglect

As Nursing Homes Battle COVID-19, Seniors Who Aren’t Infected Are Quietly Dying from Neglect

January 4th, 2021

As COVID-19 continues its deadly assault in nursing homes, evidence is mounting that the virus’s death toll extends far beyond those who actually become infected. Grieving families are coming forward with their personal stories of how their loved ones escaped the virus ― but died …

Magnet Injuries

Two Families Warn of Serious Injuries when Kids Swallow Those Popular Magnetic Balls

December 7th, 2020

The parents of two young boys who recently swallowed magnets from those “super cool” magnetic ball sets that kids commonly play with have come forward with their personal stories of how this fun, quirky product can quickly lead to a medical emergency. According to news reports, …

infant loungers

Nursing Pillows and Infant Loungers: The Latest Products Tied to Infant Deaths

November 11th, 2020

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning parents that nursing pillows and lounging pads pose a suffocation hazard when used for infant sleep. The announcement is shocking in that horseshoe-shaped nursing pillows ― regarded by many new parents as “must have” baby gear ― …

Pregnant Minority Women

New Study Provides Another Example of the Increased Risks of Being Pregnant While Black or Hispanic

September 28th, 2020

A new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black pregnant women appear to be disproportionately affected by COVID-19 during pregnancy. This finding is but one more example of how systemic health and social inequities …