Modus Furniture Recalls Kentfield Dressers Due to Tip Over Hazard

Product Recalls - April 26, 2025

Modus Furniture International Issues Recall for Kentfield Solid Wood Eight-Drawer Dressers Due to Injury Risk and Entrapment Hazard

Modus Furniture Recalls Kentfield Dressers Due to Tip Over Hazard

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (April 26, 2027) – Modus Furniture has issued a recall for its Kentfield Dressers because the dressers can tip over and seriously injure small children in the process.

The recall was issued on April 10, 2025. Roughly 675 units were sold prior to the recall.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the recalled Kentfield Solid Wood Eight-Drawer Dressers violate performance standards set by the STURDY Act.

No injuries have been reported at this time. The dressers were sold online at Wayfair and several other online retailers.

Liability for Injuries Caused By Dressers

Dressers tipping over can be a major hazard for small children. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, “Ninety-three percent of those child-specific incidents involved children five years old and younger. In more than half of the 459 child fatalities (55 percent), the child was crushed by the weight of the television, furniture, or appliance.” Furniture manufacturers must comply with the STURDY Act in order to prevent injuries. This law poses numerous design requirements.

  • Stability: Dressers must remain stable, even if they are placed on a carpeted surface.
  • Loaded and Open: Dressers must remain stable, even if they are filled and multiple dresser drawers are open at the same time.
  • Child Interactions: Dressers must remain stable, even if a child who weighs 60 pounds is climbing or pulling on it.

Companies that manufacture household furniture have a legal obligation to ensure that their furniture is reasonably safe. To that end, they must comply with all safety standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They must take into consideration all of the ways that their product is likely to be used and misused. It is widely known that children have a tendency to climb on furniture. When a company fails to follow federal regulations for dresser safety, this could form the basis of a strict product liability claim.

Many lawsuits have been filed after children have been seriously injured or killed by dressers that tipped over. Consider, for example, Dudek v. IKEA (2020). A toddler was tragically killed after a piece of IKEA furniture tipped over and fell on top of him. Attorneys for the plaintiff argued that the dresser model was inherently unstable. IKEA eventually reached a $46 million settlement with the boy’s family. Falling dressers can cause very serious injuries to young children.

  • Broken Bones: Many children have sustained broken bones in their arms, wrists, and legs after heavy pieces of furniture fell on top of them.
  • Head Injuries: A number of children have also sustained traumatic brain injuries. The bones in a child’s head have not fully formed.
  • Asphyxiation: The sheer weight of a dresser that tipped over could easily compress the lungs of a small child. This could easily kill them due to asphyxiation.

It can be hard to know what to do if your child has been injured by a piece of furniture. Parents will often blame themselves. But the fact of the matter is that many of these accidents involve companies that flaunt federal safety guidelines. It is consumers and particularly children that have to live with the consequences of these poor decisions. The family of any child that is injured by a piece of furniture may be able to seek some measure of accountability through a civil claim.

Getting Legal Help for Injuries Caused by Dress Tip-Over Accidents

We at Horwitz Horwitz & Associates were deeply concerned to hear about the safety issues with the Kentfield Solid Wood Eight-Drawer Dressers. It is our hope that all of the affected dressers will be successfully recalled before any child is seriously injured or killed. Online retailers and physical stores need to do more to ensure that the products they are selling are not potentially dangerous.

Has your child been injured by a dresser that tipped over? You may have legal recourse. Our team of highly experienced product liability attorneys is here to help in any way that we can. We will fight hard to get you the medical and financial support that your child needs in order to recover. Whether you just have legal questions or are wondering how an attorney might be able to help with your particular situation, we are here for you. Contact us today for a risk-free consultation at (312) 564-4256.