Richard Gottlieb

California sues over toys

California Attorney General Jerry Brown has just announced a lawsuit against Mattel, Costco, Toys R Us, KB, Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, Marvel Entertainment, Everready Battery, Kmart and Fisher-Price. The lawsuit sites these companies because, according to the November 20, 2007 San Jose Mercury, they “. . . knowingly exposed individuals to lead and did not provide warnings about the risks.” The article goes on to state that: "The lawsuit seeks to force manufacturers and retailers to adopt procedures for inspecting products to make sure they are safe. There is a statutory penalty of up to $2,500 for each item sold, officials said, though it is unlikely to reach that level.”

I certainly expected these companies to object in the most strenuous way to being accused of knowingly exposing kids to lead poisoning. That is, for any individual or companies a terrible liable, but for a toy company it is the curse of death. So how did Mattel respond? Again, according to the San Jose Mercury, “Los Angeles toy giant Mattel said the attorney general's involvement would help steer the toy industry toward stronger safety standards. 'Mattel expected this development and believes that the attorney general's assumption of this case will be beneficial to all parties,' the company said in a statement. 'The use of paint with impermissible levels of lead by certain subcontractors was a clear violation of the company's quality and safety standards.' "

That’s it? That’s the response? It’s apologizing to China all over again. It is hard to believe that any toy manufacturer or retailer would knowingly expose children to lead poisoning. The lack of a response by Mattel or others puts a cloud over the ethics of an entire industry.I understand the need to play the political game. I am, however, getting exhausted by the continuous “second hand smoke” the toy industry has to breathe from Mattel’s lapses. 

Posted by Richard Gottlieb on November 20, 2007 | Comments (1)