Personal Injury Law

Update on Chinese Tainted Milk Scandal

By Editor

Total Injury posted some information about the first round of lawsuits to come against Chinese milk producers whose products were contamined with high levels of melamine, "a toxic chemical illegally added to dairy products to give the false appearance of high protein counts."

The first lawsuits involved high ranking officials in the milk companies. The New York Times reports that lawyers are now bringing a class action suit on behalf of the families of children injured or killed by the milk. The suit was filed in the Supreme People's Court in Beijing against 22 dairy producers.

There are two fascinating items in the New York Times piece. First, they report that lawsuits such as this, with multiple plaintiffs, are rare in China. They are discouraged by the government, and an earlier claim brought against the dairy manufacturers was rejected by a lower court.

Secondly, the families filling the lawsuit have rejected money already offered by the dairy producers. The current suit seeks compensation totalling $5.2 million, with payments varying depending upong the injury suffered by the children. The milk producers originally offered far less, with some payouts being as low as $300 for an injured.

Patriotism is high this week as a new president is inaugurated, but looking at this case is a nice reminder of the freedoms America offers its citizens, such as the right to seek legal recourse if you’ve received a personal injury.

Full post as published by The Injury Blog on January 21, 2009 (boomark / email).