China fights back=

Last week the China Daily News reported that= China’s Guang= dong province was likely to join in a planned libel suit against the US toy = giant Mattel. While Mattel withdrew more than 21 million Chinese made toys, it la= ter said that 85% of the recall was due to its own design faults. Various Chine= se law firms are said to be considering taking legal action, warning that such= a step could involve substantial claims for economic loss if successful.=

The latest toys to face a product recall were manufactured in Mexico, confirming that the present difficulties faced are not only the problem with manufacturing in the Far East. 7000 learning kitchen toy have been recalled due to a small parts choking hazard.

The Chinese General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ) has now moved against domes= tic manufacturers in an attempt to limit the damage to the brand ‘Made in= China&#= 8217;. The China Daily news has called for a fundamental ‘house cleaning’ which includes ‘harsher legal deterrence against sub-standard products, up-to-date quality standards, and operational mechanisms ‘. An extens= ive investigation into the industrial chemical 1.4-butanediol, the alleged culp= rit of the poisoning cases has been launched.

This relates to a bead toy, recalled in the = US and Australia, following reports = of 5 children who have fallen sick after swallowing the beads. A statement from AQSIQ issued la= te on Saturday said the toymaker had used the toxic chemical 1,4-Butylene glyc= ol as a softener in the production process and that the end products contained 14.5 percent of the toxic substance.

The chemical can simulate the drug gamma hydroxyl butyrate, also known as GHB, = if swallowed, which can lead to breathing problems, loss of consciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma or death, the AQSIQ said.

Ac= cording to a report by the Associated Press, the toys are supposed to be made with = the non-toxic 1,5-pentanediol, a chemical commonly used in computer printer ink. However, this costs three or four times as much as the toxic alternative found in the recalled toys.

Family of girl maimed in s= wimming pool sues drain manufacturer and country club

The Boston Herald reported on 16.11.07 that The family of a 6-year-old girl who lost part of her intestin= al tract after sitting on an open drain in a wading pool is suing the pool manufacturer and the country club where the accident happened. <= /span>

Abigail Taylor faces a small intestine transplant that will keep her hospitalized f= or six months, said family attorney Robert Bennett. Her lifetime medical expen= ses could total $30 million and the country club carries only $6 million in liability insurance, he said.

The laws= uit filed Thursday in Hennepin County District Court names as defendants the Minneapolis Golf Club and Sta-Rite Industries, the pool equipment manufactu= rer owned by Pentair Corp.

Pentair accuses the country club of failing to maintain its pool equipment. The Minneapolis Golf Club says its pools consistently pass city inspections.

Abigail = has been hospitalized twice, each time for about a month, since the June 29 accident.

The laws= uit alleges that Abigail was playing in the kiddie’s pool when she fell a= nd landed on the uncovered suction outlet. She became trapped when the sump created a vacuum and her intestines were pulled out through her rectum, the suit says.

Taylor said the lawsuit was necessary = to provide for his daughter's future medical costs.

Bennett alleges that Sta-Rite knew that its suction cover was a hazard and failed to come up with a safer product. The lawsuit cites three previous disembowelme= nts caused by Sta-Rite equipment.

It also accuses the Minneapolis Golf Club of failing to properly install the cover = and frame, failing to inspect it and failing to close the pool when the cover c= ame off on the day of the accident.

Pentair issued a statement blaming the country club for its "misuse of its pool products, inadequate site supervision and improper maintenance." The company said a golf ball lodged in a pool pipe, creating the suction that l= ed to the accident.

Dan Haws= , an attorney for the country club, denied that a golf ball got stuck in the pip= e. He said the drain cover had been in place shortly before the accident and w= as installed the same way for about four years and had never before come loose= .

Several states have passed pool-safety laws after children drowned or were disembow= eled by drain suction. North Carol= ina, for instance, requires pools to have dual drains to diffuse the force of the suction and prevent children from being trapped.

Legal 500 Inclusion=

“Jeremy Barnett, ‘full of flair = but also one of the safest pair of hands on circuit’, has built a solid regulatory group which is now very busy. John Harrison shows great promise = as an advocate”

New addition to the team

St Pauls Chambers are pleased to announce th= at Steven Crossley has returned to Chambers and is set to join our successful Regulatory Breach Department. Whilst continuing to practice in Police crimi= nal and disciplinary matters, Mr Crossley also has extensive experience in inqu= ests and tribunals and he will be a valuable addition to the Regulatory Team.

Mr Crossleys CV can be found on the St Pauls Website www.stpaulschambers.com<= /a> further information on the Regulatory Breach team can be found at www.regulatorybreach.com =

------=_NextPart_01C82D17.21AB6EC0--