06/24/2008
It's short and to the point. A label on a small tractor that warns consumers to avoid death took first place in Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch's 2007 Annual Wacky Warning Label Contest. The contest illustrates the lengths to which small business owners and manufacturers will go to avoid lawsuits resulting from stupidity and product misuse.
The Wacky Warning Label Contest, now in its 11th year, is conducted by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, M-LAW, to reveal how lawsuit abuse and fear of lawsuits have driven the proliferation of common-sense warning labels on U.S. products. To learn more about the contest, please visit mlaw.org.
Labels earning 2007 honorable mention include:
- "Do not iron while wearing shirt" read a label on an iron-on T-shirt transfer.
- "Do not put child in bag" printed on a small storage pouch on a baby stroller.
- "Caution: safety goggles recommended" read a warning label for a letter opener.
- "The Vanishing Fabric Marker should not be used as a writing instrument for signing checks or any legal documents" read a warning label for a vanishing fabric marker.
Learn more about NFIB's efforts to curb frivolous lawsuits in Pennsylvania.
