FEDERAL COURT JUDGE IN NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS DENIES MOTION TO DISMISS COMPLAINT AGAINST WINDOW COVERING TRADE GROUPS
January 21, 2010, by Jeffrey J. Kroll
Judge Robert Dow in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois denied dismissal of a complaint against the Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC). The action, Padilla v. Hunter Douglas Window Coverings, Inc., et al., No. 09 C 1222, was brought by the father of a 3-year old boy who was strangled by the pull cord on mini-blinds in his home. The complaint alleges that WCMA and WCSC failed to conduct a retrofit program. Judge Dow days it is possible, under the allegations of the complaint, that WCMA and WCSA owed a duty of care to Padilla's son.
