According to media reports, a NY man is suing Novartis over a days-long erection that he attributed to ingesting the Boost Plus Nutritional Energy Drink. As 29-year-old Christopher Woods told the New York Post… “It gave me a lot of energy — too much energy,” Woods said of the protein drink. “It was unbearable and [...]

Coca-Cola has brought a lawsuit against it to a halt by agreeing to reformulate two of its popular soft drinks in the U.S. to ensure that they will no longer contain the cancer-causing chemical, benzene. Despite denying the allegation, the company said that it changed the Vault Zero and Fanta Pineapple drinks to minimize the [...]

McDonald’s has decided to use its Shrek movie tie-in to feature healthier food items. Shrek will be featured on its salads, milk, apple slices and other products introduced in the last three years as the burger chain tries to combat mounting criticism that its food is contributing to the obesity epidemic in both kids and [...]

In a “I broke up with you”… “No, you didn’t. You only broke up with me because I was going to break up with you” spat, Kodak and the Better Business Bureau have parted ways. While it is not uncommon for companies to join or quit the BBB over the years, what makes this particularly [...]

The BBC just aired a lengthy news story from a reporter that went undercover and worked at the bank for nearly six months. The reporter, Amanda Egbujo, goes into great length about the unethical culture and business practices of the bank, including: the bank’s failure to conduct any significant reference or background checking on her [...]

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced yesterday that Hoover Company Inc., of North Canton, Ohio, has agreed to pay a $750,000 civil penalty. The penalty, which the Commission has provisionally accepted settles allegations that the company failed to report to CPSC the sale of vacuum cleaners with defective on-off switches that can overheat [...]

In a sign that executive leadership is finally waking up to the full carnage of brand damage that has occurred, Bausch & Lomb Inc. cut its earnings forecast for 2006 by 78 percent due to signs of consumer backlash against the company after one of its contact lens products was linked to an outbreak of [...]

A jury awarded $5 million to a family in the death of their one-year-old boy who was given Infants’ Tylenol for a cold. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Offi ce said the cause of Marquis Dunsons’ death in March 2002 was acetaminophen toxicity. The boy became ill with a cold on March 16, 2002. His parents [...]

On July 9, a concrete ceiling panel collapsed on the I-90 tunnel, killing a female passenger in a car headed to Boston’s Logan Airport. As part of the recriminations and finger-pointing in the ensuing weeks, a 1999 memo was unearthed in which the on-site safety officer, John Keaveney, warned his superiors at contractor Modern Continental [...]

The parents of a Baton Rouge teenager fi led a wrongful death lawsuit against OnStar, alleging that the company refused service that could have saved their son’s life. A Louisiana judge ruled it may proceed. Dustin Bambarger was found dead in his parent’s Chevrolet Suburban, a month after he disappeared. Lisa Bambarger, his mother, contacted [...]

Reebok International Ltd. has issued a recall of nearly 300,000 charm bracelets after one of them was linked in the lead poisoning death of a 4-year-old Minnesota boy. The bracelets were originally offered as free gifts with the purchase of children’s footwear. Autopsy results showed that the child died from lead-induced swelling of the brain [...]

The boy’s death happened at a day care in Daleville operated at the house of Orvil and Roberta Reedy. As Orvil Reedy trimmed his lawn with a riding mower manufactured by MTD Products Corp, on April 22, 2004, Justin played in the yard. Roberta Reedy, who had been watching Justin, his brother and two other [...]

Tiffany & Co. agreed to pay a $262,500 fine to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to settle allegations that it failed to report a hazard with silver baby teether rattles. Tiffany recalled 3,700 of the rattles in February 2005, almost a year after it stopped selling them. However, Tiffany didn’t tell the government that [...]

A jury awarded $5 million to a family in the death of their one-year-old boy who was given Infants’ Tylenol for a cold. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office said the cause of Marquis Dunsons’ death in March 2002 was acetaminophen toxicity. The boy became ill with a cold on March 16, 2002. His parents gave [...]

On July 9, a concrete ceiling panel collapsed on the I-90 tunnel, killing a female passenger in a car headed to Boston’s Logan Airport. As part of the recriminations and finger-pointing in the ensuing weeks, a 1999 memo was unearthed in which the on-site safety officer, John J. Keaveney, directly warned his superiors at contractor [...]

A California state appeals court approved $82 million in damages today for the family of a woman who was paralyzed when her Ford Explorer rolled over and the roof caved in. The court said there was evidence that Ford had known that the Explorer was unstable and prone to rollovers, but that the company had [...]

On August 2 Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) published a report alleging high levels of pesticides in India’s soft drinks, throwing the entire industry into disarray. On August 9, the state of Kerala, home to 30 million people, banned both Coke and Pepsi from making or selling their beverages. In 27 other states [...]

After months of blog reports about “exploding laptops” (some of which even came with pictures of the havoc) Dell relented and announced a massive recall of 4.1 million of the Sony-made lithium ion laptop batteries. Reporting one Dell laptop exploded during a conference in Japan and another Dell allegedly burst into flames at an office [...]

Family Dollar Stores Inc. has agreed to pay a $100,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that the company failed to report defects with electric blankets it sold. Family Dollar failed to report to the Consumer Products Safety Commission in a timely manner that the electric blankets could overheat and catch on fire. Family Dollar sold [...]

The mother of a child who died after drinking from bottle of Revlon African Pride Ginseng Miracle Wonder 8 Oil, Hair and Body Mist-Captivate moisturizer can’t sue for wrongful death. The product, which contained natural oils, didn’t include any warning that it was toxic or potentially fatal if swallowed, and it didn’t state that it [...]

Finding that trial court erroneously interpreted the Federal Hazardous Substance Act (FHSA) labeling requirement for a wood stripper product with benzene, a unanimous panel of the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on July 14 upset a defense summary judgment and remanded a failure to warn claim to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern [...]

In a sign that executive leadership is waking up to the full carnage of brand damage that has occurred, Bausch & Lomb Inc. cut its earnings forecast for 2006 by 78% due to signs of consumer backlash against the company after one of the company’s contact lens products was linked to an outbreak of eye [...]

The parents of a Baton Rouge teenager filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OnStar, alleging that the company refused service that could have saved their son’s life and a Louisiana judge ruled it may proceed. Dustin Bambarger was found dead in his parent’s Chevrolet Suburban, a month after he disappeared. Lisa Bambarger, his mother, contacted [...]

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer and Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo have sued Atlanta-based Coca-Cola and its Mexican affiliates, alleging Coca-Cola uses lead-based paint on bottle labels imported from Mexico. Coca-Cola said it has tried and continues to try to reach a settlement and that it will “vigorously defend itself against outlandish allegations” in [...]

A waterproofing boot spray manufactured in Canada has sickened nearly 200 people and more than two dozen pets in the Midwest since early last year. No one died, but people in five states reported coughing and breathing problems, and more than 80 went to hospitals. Three housecats died after exposure to the aerosol products. Most [...]