Displaying items by tag: century blinds

October 04, 2021

Wrongful Death Verdict

Congratulations to the litigation team of Alan Mortensen, Lance Milne and Christopher Cheney for the $25,000,000 wrongful death verdict recovered on behalf of their clients, the parents of a three year old girl who straggled in corded blinds in her home.  

DKOWHM's clients brought suit against the blind manufacturer, Century Blinds, in order to raise public awareness of the strangulation hazard corded blinds pose in homes with children.  The Mahe's want the public to know what they did not know.  The jury found that Century Blinds, a California blind manufacturer, a subsidiary of Hunter Douglas, with a large presence in Salt Lake City, Utah, manufactured corded blinds across the country for several years without putting a “no additional cost” tilt wand on their blinds, as opposed to tilt cord, which Century Blinds knew was a strangulation hazard to small children.  Century Blinds also manufactured corded blinds without providing cord cleats which should have been installed with the blinds.  Cord cleats allow a parent to wrap around blind cords at a level above where children can reach.  The blinds also came with a warning label that was not visible and did not meet ANSI Standards required of blind manufacturers to tell parents not to put furniture by window blinds.  The jury heard testimony that these blinds should have never been allowed in the Mahe home back in 2008 when they were installed because of these defects. 

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