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A heat gun and
paint remover that produces temperatures of
1,000 degrees and warns users, "Do not
use this tool as a hair dryer," has been
identified as the nation's wackiest warning
label in an annual contest sponsored by a
lawsuit watchdog group.
The Wacky
Warning Label Contest, now in its ninth year,
is conducted by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch,
M-LAW, as part of its campaign to reveal how
lawsuits, and concern about lawsuits, have
resulted in warnings on products.
The winning
labels were selected from a list of M-LAW's
finalists by listeners of the Dick Purtan show
on Detroit radio station, WOMC-FM.
The second
place award went for a label on a kitchen
knife that warns: "Never try to catch a
falling knife."
Third place
was won by the following warning on a cocktail
napkin with a map of the waterways around
Hilton Head, South Carolina printed on it:
"Not to be used for navigation."
An honorable
mention award went to a warning on a bottle of
dried bobcat urine used to keep pests away
from garden plants: "Not for human
consumption."
"Warning
labels are a sign of our lawsuit-plagued
times," said Robert B. Dorigo Jones,
M-LAW president. "An unpredictable legal
system -- in which many judges allow anyone to
file a lawsuit on almost any theory -- has
created a need for product makers to plaster
wacky warnings on everything. When judges see
it as their job to dismiss cases that are
rooted in frivolous theories, we'll see fewer
wacky labels and more fairness in the
courts."
(Article
Taken from Insurance Journal)
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