Major Furniture Retailer Settles with Family Over Wrongful Death Lawsuit

January 28, 2020

Ikea Reaches a Settlement with Family of a Toddler Killed By Their Defective Product

The major furniture retailer Ikea has recently reached a settlement with the family of Jozef Dudek, a young boy who passed away in 2017 after Ikea’s Malm dresser pummeled on top of him and suffocated him.

The suffocation death from the dresser came as a shock to his parents, both of whom did not even know that the Malm dresser that they purchased had been recalled in 2016 because it was already involved in several other incidents with young boys where it fell over and killed or caused harm. Ikea will now pay the family $46 million for the death of Jozef.

The mother of Jozef, Joleen Dudek, said she misses her son so much. She thinks of his upcoming birthday in April and how he would have been turning five this year, but that will never happen because his life was cut short by something that no one ever suspected would happen.

What Happened to Jozef?

Joleen said that she and her husband, Craig, did not expect that their young son would be able to move a dresser and cause it to tip over. They ended up finding out that Ikea had already released a recall on these dressers because studies showed that the dressers were unstable and unsafe. These dresses were unable to pass the safety requirements that dressers should always meet before being sold to the public.

Ikea knows that the settlement does not relieve the pain and anguish experienced by the parents of Dudek. The company can only hope to continue to do better while remaining proactive to address issues that are risky and hazardous, especially in homes where younger children are living. The company has sent its condolences to the Dudek family for the loss of their son.

Dudek’s death may have come as a shock to his parents, but it was not the first death reported as a result of an Ikea dresser. In fact, nine children’s deaths were related to these dressers that were sold by Ikea. Along with the deaths of nine children, dozens of other kids were injured by these dressers that were in their homes. It is the reason that Ikea had to recall a total of 17.3 million of its dressers back in 2016.

Recall Issued for Ikea Dresser

Although the recall was massive, the information was not spread nearly as well as it could have been, which is the reason why these dressers are still being used. The Dudek family did not know the dresser was recalled, but if they had known because Ikea had contacted them, they could have taken the appropriate action to prevent this tragedy from happening.

There is also reason to believe that many parents are still not aware of the unsafe Ikea dressers that may have been purchased at some point and are now placed inside bedrooms and other rooms in homes across the globe. The United States President of Ikea, Javier Quinones, has now agreed to meet with the Parents Against Tip-Overs group to discuss actions that can be taken to protect the children from these tragic events. The group currently consists of parents who have had the unfortunate experience of losing a child to a dresser tip-over incident.

Contact a Pittsburgh Personal Injury Lawyer to Discuss Your Product Liability Case in Pennsylvania

Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries due to a defective product in Pennsylvania? Don’t let the medical bills pile up while you wait for the negligent party or their insurance company to do the right thing. Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side, fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled attorneys at Goodrich & Geist, P.C. represent clients injured because of product liability in Pittsburgh and Western PA counties. Call 412-837-8426 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a consultation about your case. We have an office conveniently located at 3634 California Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

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