News 4 Investigation into dangers in mattresses gains national attention, prompts class action lawsuit | St. Louis News

By On Apr 13, 2021

(KMOV.com) – It should have been a peaceful night’s sleep for a family outside of Phoenix. Instead, tiny glittering pieces of fiberglass from the cots.

“They came out and they’re like mom, ‘we itch, we itch,'” said mom Amanda Richie.

It was on her clothes, furniture, and irreplaceable memorabilia.

“You would feel it. It would start stabbing your face, little tiny itchy spots, ”she said.

Your story is just one of the newest horror stories since News 4 first told you it happened to a family in our area more than a year ago.

Imagine feeling tiny shards of glass in your bed, clothes, and towels on pretty much every surface of your home.

“This issue has attracted national attention since your story about the Chandlers,” said Lloyd Cueto, attorney, who represents Robert and Amanda Chandler of Collinsville, Illinois.

In February 2020, we told you about your child’s mattress that they bought at a Walmart. They took off what they thought was a removable cover and accidentally released particles of fiberglass in the air, which then wandered all over their home. Since that story, News has received 4 emails after emails from people saying they are affected by the same problem. Once the fibers are released it is very difficult to clean the fiberglass.

“The average remediation cost is around $ 15,000,” said Cueto.

Cueto now has a class action lawsuit against Zinus, the maker of the Chandler mattress, and he is also monitoring other manufacturers.

“The 196 plaintiffs we represent come from over 32 states and Washington DC,” he said.

The fiberglass is meant to be a fire retardant, and News 4 previously found it did a pretty good job at that. However, according to Cueto, manufacturers do not ensure that these fibers cannot be exposed, especially because in many cases the mattress covers actually tear off immediately.

“I think that’s ridiculous. The presence of a zipper on a mattress cover would invite the user to unzip, ”said Cueto.

So far, the company has not given a clear reason why. News 4 tried to reach an attorney who represented Zinus in a suit but never heard back.

Fiberglass is commonly placed in mattresses to make them more fire resistant. But does it actually work?

A Zinus spokesperson said, “We value the health and safety of our customers and take all feedback very seriously.”

However, they didn’t respond to News 4’s questions about whether they would commit to removing the zippers or removing the fiberglass altogether.

The spokesman added, “We encourage all Zinus product owners to refer to the FAQ page on our corporate website, which covers many frequently asked questions, including these Q&A, which discusses the proper care and handling of mattress covers. “

Cueto says he plans to fight the cases through to court.

“It’s really ruining your life,” he said.

But he says until they get real changes, it could happen to you. The class action lawsuit could still be a long way off. In the meantime, we will keep asking if the government should step in to regulate these products.