May 27 2009
Sofa Sale
sofa sale
Hundreds Seek Compensation After Sofa Rash Outbreak
By Paul Mcindoe
Recently, a news item surfaced which claimed approximately 1400 people had suffered damage to their skin due to a fungicide used in the manufacture of leather sofas that were manufactured in China.
Doctors have so far treated hundreds of people affected by the sofas, which are said to cause blisters, rashes and burns and have resulted in some people having to stay in hospital for up to four weeks.
UK high-street retailer, Argos, who sold approximately 30,000 of the sofas, carried out an investigation into the claims and discovered what it believes is the cause of the sofa dermatitis outbreak; a substance known as DMF which is largely used in the production of acrylic fibres and plastics.
In the case of the sofas, however, it was stored in sachets inside the sofas to prevent them from going mouldy during transit and storage. A court ruling made by The Honourable Mr Justice Treacy in June 2008 ensured that people suffering from sofa rash will have their claims dealt with under a defective product Group Litigation Order, the largest every recorded in England and Wales.
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While Argos removed all the contaminated sofas from sale and gave refunds to anyone who bought one, other retailers have offered refunds but have not yet ordered a full product recall - a move many legal firms in the UK consider essential to curtail the number of people affected by the fungicide.
Experts have estimated that £10 million could be paid out in compensation to consumers, with that figure rising if the problem isn’t isolated to current batches. For China, however, the sofa rash outbreak marks the latest in a long line of high profile scandals surrounding the safety of its exports, with items such as pet food, toothpaste and a variety of toys previously being discovered as defective.
Executive Summary by : Mashuri
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