Consumer watchdog group offers $1,000 prize to the person who can find the wackiest warning label

NORTHVILLE, Mich., Feb. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch launched its popular Wacky Warning Label contest today offering a $1,000 top prize for the person who can find the most outlandish product warning label.  Now in the 20^th edition of the contest, the organization uses warning label submissions to highlight the lengths companies must go to protect themselves from over-eager liability suits.  

The organization has amassed a treasure trove of warning labels that seemingly defy logic. Rounding out the Top Five are:

1. "Does not supply oxygen." – a label on a common dust mask.
2. "For Accessory Use Only. Not to Be Used as a Battle Device." – a label advising Star Wars toy light saber owners.
3. "The Silence Feature is intended to temporarily silence the horn while you identify and correct the problem…It will not extinguish a fire." – a warning on a ceiling-mounted smoke alarm.
4. "This product moves when used." – a warning on a motorized go-cart. 
5. "Blades are sharp." – A label included with a common utility knife.

"Absurd labels can be found on products all around us, and our goal is to have a little fun and also make people stop and think about why these labels are even needed in the first place," said Bob Dorigo Jones, president of Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch. "The warning found on a paper mask similar to what people are now using to prevent the spread of infection is just one of the most outrageous examples. The reason these labels are even included on these products is the fear of frivolous lawsuits. Our lawsuit-happy culture is the reason things as simple as a dust mask or ink pen now come with booklets filled with warnings these days."

Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch encourages anyone finding an absurd product warning label to submit it along with their information to www.LawsuitFairness.org. Winners have until April 27, 2020 to submit their entries. Winners will be chosen on Law Day, May 1, with the top prize winner receiving $1,000 and the runner up entry receiving $500.

According to the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, the United States has the most costly legal system in the world, with Michigan ranking 33^rd in the nation for its unfavorable legal environment. The same organization found that tort costs in Michigan averaged $3,050 per household in 2019.

Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch decided to launch this year's contest on Presidents Day to honor President Abraham Lincoln and the warning he issued more than 160 years discouraging litigation.

"Before he became president of the United States, Lincoln was a practicing lawyer who saw the problems caused by too many lawsuits," said Dorigo Jones. "He once admonished his fellow lawyers to, 'Discourage litigation.  Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can.  Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser – in fees, expenses and waste of time.'

"It took more than 100 years for the litigation problem Lincoln recognized to become so bad that wacky warning labels would become a part of our everyday life, but that's the current state of our legal system," said Dorigo Jones.

Based in Northville, Michigan, Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch is a non-partisan consumer watchdog over the courts. Visit www.LawsuitFairness.org. Contact: Bob Dorigo Jones, president, MiLAW, 734-891-6022, [email protected].

Dorigo Jones is the bestselling author of Remove Child Before Folding:  The 101 Stupidest, Silliest and Wackiest Warning Labels Ever.

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SOURCE Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch