Furniture Tip-Over Lawyers Serving Clients Nationwide

Every year, nearly 18,000 Americans are rushed to emergency rooms due to furniture tip-overs, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In 2022, the CPSC reported that there had been 581 tip-over deaths in the U.S. since 2000. Four out of five of the deaths were children. At Feldman Shepherd, we have held IKEA and other major furniture manufacturers accountable when unstable product designs cause catastrophic harm to children and families.

The Risks of Unstable Furniture

Furniture tip-overs are the predictable outcome of poorly designed furniture that is not safe and secure for all intended and foreseeable uses. Tip-over accidents commonly involve:

Dressers, chests, and bureaus
Bookcases and shelving units
Cabinets
Televisions (sometimes in combination with other furniture)
Tables and stands
Stoves, ovens, and refrigerators

Unstable dressers pose a specific risk to toddlers, who may attempt to climb or sit in open drawers. Because young children lack the strength to stop a falling dresser or lift a dresser once it has tipped, the results are often catastrophic. Making an already dangerous situation worse, tip-over accidents often occur when parents think their child is safely asleep in bed, and parents may not hear the dresser fall because the child’s body and carpet often cushion the impact.

According to the CPSC, tip-overs of dressers, chests, and bureaus alone caused 234 fatalities between January 2000 and April 2022, 199 of which involved children.

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Nearly $100 Million Recovered in IKEA Dresser Tip-Over Litigation

The Feldman Shepherd furniture tip-over team is nationally recognized for our IKEA dresser tip-over litigation, in which we recovered nearly $100 million on behalf of four families whose children were fatally injured by tip-overs of unstable IKEA MALM dressers, including a $46 million recovery that is believed to be the largest child wrongful death recovery in American history.

The IKEA settlements contained several non-monetary terms that our furniture tip-over attorneys insisted upon to protect other children from deadly tip-overs and to help educate parents as to the risks of unstable dressers, including an agreement by IKEA in 2016 to only sell chests and dressers in the U.S. that meet or exceed the then-national voluntary safety standard for clothing storage units.

Our advocacy in the IKEA cases shined a spotlight on dresser tip-over tragedies, involving many brands of furniture, which were playing out at an alarming frequency in homes, and particularly in children’s bedrooms, throughout the United States. The IKEA cases—along with tireless advocacy by grieving parents, consumer organizations, and elected representatives—prompted Congress in 2022 to pass the STURDY Act (Stop Tip-Overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth Act), which provided for a mandatory safety standard for the stability of all dressers made or sold in the United States.

As the STURDY Act is not retroactive, an untold number of unsafe and unstable dressers still remain in use in people’s homes after the act’s effective date.

Why Choose Feldman Shepherd for Your Furniture Tip-Over Case?

When your family has been devastated by a furniture tip-over accident, you deserve a legal team with the proven experience to hold multi-national manufacturers accountable for their dangerous designs. Our attorneys effectively pioneered this field of law, and we are deeply committed to providing compassionate advocacy while keeping you fully informed at every stage of the legal process. We understand the immense emotional toll these tragedies take, which is why we fight to secure the justice and safety reforms your family deserves. Most importantly, we provide our services on a contingency fee basis, meaning you will never owe any legal fees unless we successfully recover compensation for your case. Contact our office today for a free, confidential consultation to learn how our furniture tip-over attorneys can help your family seek justice.

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Frequently Asked Questions Furniture Tip Over

Can furniture tip-over cases involve products other than dressers?

Yes. While dressers are the most common culprit, tip-over cases may involve bookcases, entertainment centers, shelving units, televisions placed on unstable furniture, and even large appliances. Any product that is top-heavy, improperly designed, or lacks adequate anchoring mechanisms may pose a serious risk.

Does a furniture tip-over claim require proof that the product was recalled?

No. A recall is not required to bring a successful product liability claim. Many dangerous furniture designs were sold for years without recalls, despite known stability problems. Liability often turns on whether the product was unreasonably dangerous when sold—not whether regulators later intervened.

What if wall anchors were provided but not installed?

Manufacturers may still be liable. Courts frequently examine whether the furniture was inherently unstable even without anchors, whether warnings were adequate, and whether the product could reasonably be expected to be used without anchoring—especially in homes with children.

Are furniture tip-over claims limited to children?

No. Although children account for most fatalities, tip-over accidents also cause severe injuries and deaths to adults, particularly older adults. The same defective design principles apply regardless of the victim’s age.

How long do families have to file a furniture tip-over lawsuit?

Product liability claims are governed by state-specific statutes of limitations, which can vary based on when the injury occurred and when the family discovered the cause. In child fatality cases, special timing rules may apply, making early legal review critical.