Popular superstore Target Corp and toddler product manufacturer Prince Lionheart are facing punitive class claims in Florida federal court filed by angry parents who allege that a potty-training seat sold by Target and produced by Lionheart poses a serious threat to toddlers.
Named plaintiffs, Natalie and Yosef Belkin, purchased a Prince Lionheart toilet-training product called the weePOD Basix in May 2018 at a Target store located in Boca Raton, Florida. The weePOD is a plastic seat that is placed on top of a toilet to better enable a toddler to sit. The product also features a higher plastic area in the front that allegedly reduces mess and back splash, and is known as the pee shield.
Plaintiffs claim that the plastic toilet seat is cheaply made and does not allow for toddlers to easily stand up off the seat. Additionally, the plaintiffs claim that the plastic shield is a hazard to young boys as it is hard to clear when getting up off the product. Plaintiff argues that due to the defective design of the product, her toddler-aged son was severely injured by the shield. In the complaint, the injury to the little boy was described as “near genital dismemberment” causing permanent damages.
The lawsuit is not the first notice that Prince Lionheart has received of injuries caused by the training aid. The complaint states that between 2012 and 2018, the company received around 12 complaints alleging that the product caused severe cuts and lacerations. The suit is seeking to create a class that includes anyone in the U.S. who purchased a Prince Lionheart weePOD model with the plastic guard. Lionheart did change the type of plastic used to manufacture its products in August 2017, however, the original hazardous product is still widely available both online and in stores. The action only includes Lionheart products produced prior to the 2017 material switch. The suit also seeks to include a Target subclass of U.S. buyers of Prince Lionheart weePOD models with the pre-2017 shield. The Target subclass is further seeking to enjoin Target from continuing to sell the defective product.
The case is: Natalie Belkin et. al. v. Prince Lionheart Inc. et. al., Case No.: 18-80800, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
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