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Another Reason Why Water Bead Toys Are Dangerous — Toxic Chemical Hazard

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning parents about two brands of water bead toys that contain high levels of a toxic chemical. The two new warnings add to mounting concerns over water beads, which look fun and harmless, but are sending thousands of children to hospital emergency departments with serious and life-threatening injuries caused by ingestion. On March 19, …

Can healthcare fraud serve as a basis for whistleblower lawsuits brought under the False Claims Act?

In fiscal year 2023, more than $1.8 billion of the $2.68 billion recovered under the False Claim Act came from defendants in the healthcare industry. This figure made healthcare fraud the leading basis for False Claims Act settlements and judgments. Healthcare fraud recoveries protect some of the most important programs funded by the federal fisc, including Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and the …

Historical High for False Claims Act Settlements and Judgments in Fiscal Year 2023

In fiscal year 2023, the Department of Justice and whistleblowers secured more than $2.68 billion in settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act. This massive haul came as the result of an historic 543 settlements and judgments. There has not been another year with more settlements and judgments in the history of the False Claims Act. This year’s total …

Consumer Reports Calls for Recall of ‘Ingenuity Dream’ and ‘Halo BassiNest’ Bassinets Amid Reports of Dangerous Tilt

Consumer Reports is calling for federal regulators to recall two bedside bassinets amid mounting complaints by parents that they have a tilted sleep surface which is causing their babies to roll into unsafe sleep positions. Both the Ingenuity Dream & Grow Bedside Bassinet, made by Kids2, and the Halo BassiNest Flex Portable Bassinet have a cantilever design, meaning that they are …

Speed Cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard Are Here to Stay

Traffic safety advocates — including an advocate with a special connection to Feldman Shepherd — scored a major victory in their fight to reduce a crisis of fatal accidents on Roosevelt Boulevard. On December 14, 2023, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a new law that makes speed cameras along Roosevelt Boulevard permanent. The cameras — formally called automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras …

All Onewheel e-Skateboards Recalled after Four Deaths and Serious Injuries Reported

After refusing to cooperate with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) almost a year ago, electronic skateboard manufacturer Future Motion is now recalling 300,000 of its Onewheel skateboards amid reports of four deaths and multiple serious injuries. Onewheel e-skateboards are self-balancing boards with a single wheel in the middle of the board and front and rear footpads where the rider stands …

Water Beads Are Seriously Injuring Kids, and Little Is Being Done to Stop It

News Update 9/14/2023 – The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that Buffalo Games has recalled Chuckle and Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kits citing serious ingestion, choking and obstruction hazards. Feldman Shepherd is representing the family of a toddler who died after ingesting a Chuckle and Roar water bead. They look completely harmless. Tiny, colorful beads that expand when they absorb …

U.S. Maternal Mortality Crisis Continues to Worsen, With Black Moms at Highest Risk

Maternal deaths in the United States have surged to their highest level in nearly 60 years, with rates that are far more dire for Black mothers compared with other racial groups, according to new federal data. In 2021, 1,205 women died of maternal causes, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics released by the Centers for Disease …

Magnet Injuries

Zen Magnets, Neoballs Magnets Recalled Due to the Risk of Ingestion by Kids

September 2nd, 2021

In the culmination of a nearly decade-long battle that pitted the U.S. government agency charged with product safety against a manufacturer of dangerous magnetic balls made from rare-earth magnets, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has taken the rare step of forcing a mandatory recall. On …

vacation home elevator accidents

Is the Elevator in Your Family’s Vacation Rental Home Safe?

July 14th, 2021

As Americans head off for summer vacation and some much-needed relaxation as the COVID-19 pandemic finally eases up, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning that kids can be crushed to death by the elevator in their family’s vacation rental home. On June 24, 2021, …

Roosevelt Boulevard

How Dangerous Road Design Impacts Philadelphia’s Most Vulnerable Residents Who Live Near Roosevelt Boulevard

June 21st, 2021

While most Philadelphians denounce Roosevelt Boulevard as a confusing, chaotic stretch of road that is lying in wait for crashes, the people most affected by the Boulevard’s poor roadway design are seldom talked about. A new report may change that. One out of every three people who …

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 …