The families of 15 young boys have filed a class-action lawsuit against Target and the makers of a popular potty training seat, over claims toddler boys' genitals can get stuck in the seat, causing serious lacerations.
The weePOD potty training seats are manufactured by Prince Lionheart Inc.
"Like an old leather car seat and you're wearing a tank top and it sticks, so it's the same mechanism," attorney John Kristensen told KNBC. "When you pull it off, the penis is still stuck but the rest of the body is moving. That skin is so sensitive that it rips."
Attorneys said that Prince Lionheart knew the seats were defective and made corrections, but over 500,000 defective potty seats are still being sold on store shelves.
Daniel, one father who is participating in the lawsuit on behalf of his son, said he was lifting the 4-year-old out of the family’s weePOD Basix potty when the boy started screaming.
"We were, I don't know how to explain it, horrified to see that happening to our son," Daniel told KABC. "There was blood, skin, everything everywhere."
The parents said they took the boy to the emergency room.
Attorneys representing the families said that Prince Lionheart is refusing to pull the defective child product from store shelves.
"They've modified it, but the defective ones are still out there, and they're going to be hurting kids in the future," attorney John Carpenter told KSAB.
An attorney for Prince Lionheart stated that the company disagrees with the claims.
Target also issued a statement, saying it requires all vendors to follow product safety laws and Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines.
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