Family in Regina suing Mattel over lead paint
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 | 12:17 PM ET
CBC News
A Regina family is hoping to lead a class-action lawsuit against international toy-making giant Mattel.
Renae Sharp claims her children were at risk from lead and magnets in toys they bought from Mattel.
When Mattel issued recalls for some of its toys earlier this year, the Sharp family was alarmed, she said.
On Aug. 14, the company recalled 18.2 million Chinese-made magnetic toys and 436,000 toys with lead paint.
Lead poisoning can cause brain damage in young children. Mattel reported there was lead in paint used on some toys.
Other toys contained small magnets that could be ingested. Sharp says she expected better from the company.
"I was quite shocked with Mattel," Sharp said. "I assumed that the toys went through rigorous testing before they were put on the market for small children."
Sharp is the proposed "lead plaintiff" in a lawsuit filed in the Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench by Regina lawyer Tony Merchant. The suit has not been certified as a class action.
Sharp said she's not involved for the money, but to change how toy makers operate.
"I'm doing it because I'm hoping that the toy companies are able to follow much stricter guidelines in the future so that these toys don't get out onto the shelves for our children to play with," she said.
That's a key element of the suit, Merchant said, although it is also asking for damages to be awarded.
The president of Mattel in Canada, declined to comment on the possibility of a Saskatchewan class action. There has also been at least one class action suit launched in the United States.
In a Sept. 21 news release, the company said it's committed to "applying the highest standards of safety for its products."
The company said out of 800 million toys it produces annually, less than 0.3 per cent were recalled because of lead paint. It also said about 0.5 per cent of its toys were recalled between 2003 and 2006 due to magnets.
It also said it has fixed the toys with the magnets so they do not become detached.
