Ikea Dresser Recall Update: Retailer To Settle $50 Million Lawsuit With 3 Families

Ikea, the world’s largest furniture seller, has agreed to a $50 million settlement with the families of three children who died after the company's dressers tipped over and crushed them, a law firm representing the families announced Wednesday.

The $50 million sum would be split equally between the families of Curren Collas of West Chester, Pennsylvania; Camden Ellis of Snohomish, Washington; and Theodore McGee of Apple Valley, Minnesota.

In June, 29 million Ikea dressers of the MALM series were recalled, following the death of the third child, McGee, in February 2016.

However, during the wrongful death lawsuit case relating to Ellis, filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, the Swedish company had maintained that the families were at fault for not supporting the MALM dressers with wall anchors as the instructions indicated, according to the Washington Post.

Feldman Shepherd, the Philadelphia-based law firm representing the three families, did not detail the extent to which Ikea was aware of the tip-over problem. However, Alan Feldman, an attorney with the firm, said that previously confidential documents obtained from Ikea “100 percent” provided leverage for a settlement, according to the Post.

In a recent statement issued by the firm, they said: “The lawsuits further contended that IKEA had consistently refused to meet voluntary national safety standards for the stability of chests and dressers, which other American furniture companies had embraced. The evidence developed in the cases showed that IKEA was aware of other deaths and injuries arising from furniture tip-overs that failed to meet minimum safety standards but nevertheless refused to re-design its furniture products to be more stable and tip-resistant.”

In addition to the $50 million settlement, Ikea will donate $150,000 among three children’s hospitals in Philadelphia, Washington state and Minnesota, to be divided evenly among them. The furniture giant will also donate $100,000 to Shane's Foundation NFP, an organization devoted to children's safety with a focus on furniture tip-over prevention and education.

The company has said it would adhere to the national voluntary safety standard for clothing storage units and has vowed to only sell furniture that meets or exceeds the performance requirements of ASTM F2057-14, besides increasing consumer awareness through television and internet ads.