Product recall lawsuits: what they allege and where each one stands
A product recall is when a company pulls a product from sale or asks buyers to stop using it, often working with a federal agency. Several class action lawsuits concern products that were recalled, including Lotrimin and Tinactin antifungal sprays, CVS-brand eye drops, the smoking-cessation drug Chantix, Bestway above-ground pools and Mid-America pet food. These are allegations, and the companies may dispute them. This page lists each lawsuit, what it alleges, and where it stands.
Claims closed
The deadline to file a claim has passed for these settlements.
- Lotrimin and Tinactin Bayer Antifungal Spray settlementLawsuit claims recalled Lotrimin® and Tinactin® sprays were contaminated with benzene and sold without proper disclosure to consumers.
- Bestway Above-Ground Pool settlementBestway above-ground pools allegedly have external compression straps children can climb, creating a potential drowning hazard.
- Pfizer Chantix settlementPfizer allegedly sold Chantix contaminated with a probable human carcinogen while misrepresenting its manufacturing standards.
- CVS Eye Drops settlementFDA investigators found unsanitary conditions at an overseas facility making CVS-branded eye drops, leading to a nationwide recall.
- Mid-America Pet Food settlementMid-America sold pet foods contaminated with Salmonella, causing pets to get sick or die and leaving consumers paying for unsafe products and related vet costs.
What is a product recall?
A recall is a step a company takes to remove a product from the market or fix it, usually because of a possible safety problem such as contamination or a design defect. Many recalls are started by the company itself, and federal agencies post notices so buyers can find them.
Which agency is involved depends on the product. The FDA covers drugs, over-the-counter medicines, eye drops, food and pet food, and lists notices on its Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts page. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) covers household products such as pools, and posts notices on its recalls page. The federal Recalls.gov site points buyers to the right agency for each kind of product.
The lawsuits on this page make different claims. Some say products were contaminated: the antifungal spray case says Lotrimin and Tinactin sprays contained benzene, the Chantix case says the drug contained a substance it calls a probable human carcinogen, the eye drop case points to conditions at the plant that made CVS-branded drops, and the pet food case says Mid-America products carried Salmonella and that pets got sick or died. The pool case says Bestway above-ground pools have outside straps children could climb, which it says creates a drowning risk.
Many of these lawsuits ask for money back for products buyers say they would not have bought, or for related costs. A recall on its own does not mean a lawsuit will pay anyone, and some cases may end without any payment.
Products named in these lawsuits
Being on this list means a lawsuit names the product. It does not mean a court has found anything wrong with it.
- Lotrimin antifungal spray
- Tinactin antifungal spray
- Bestway above-ground pools
- Chantix
- CVS-branded eye drops
- Mid-America pet food products