Rectal thermometer, toilet brush warnings win wacky awards

Associated Press
Thursday, January 6, 2005

 
Be careful where you put that rectal thermometer.
That admonition is one of the finalists in an anti-lawsuit group's contest for the wackiest warning label of the year. The winner? A toilet brush that says, "Do not use for personal hygiene."
The Wacky Warning Label Contest is in its eighth year.
The sponsor, Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, says the goal is "to reveal how lawsuits, and concern about lawsuits, have created a need for common sense warnings on products."
This year's contest coincides with a drive by President Bush and congressional Republicans to put caps and other limits on jury awards in liability cases.

The leader of a group that opposes the campaign to limit lawsuits admits some warning labels seem stupid but says even dumb warnings can do good.
"There are many cases of warning labels saving lives," said Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice and Democracy in New York. "It's much better to be very cautious ... than to be afraid of being made fun of by a tort reform group."
For a copy of the complete article, contact CJ&D.

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