Walmart class action was brought by some customers who claim that the company is negligent during the assembly of bicycles. It is a free service that Walmart offers in its stores where it sells bikes.
The plaintiff Boyd Johnson filed the lawsuit in Florida federal court. According to his claim, he bought a semi-assembled Roadmaster Granite Peak bike from a Walmart in Pompano Beach, Florida. Upon purchase, he asked the store workers to assemble the bike completely. However, not long after he brought it home and tried to go for a ride, he got into trouble. He says in the lawsuit that the handle bars slid down because of an inadequately installed bolt. This caused him to lose control and fall to the pavement. As a result, he has injured his face, shoulder and right side of the body.
Walmart started using its own workers to assemble the bikes in 2014. Before that, third party vendors were doing the full assembly of the bikes. The complaint says that Walmart employees also assemble patio furniture and other products in the stores. However, the plaintiff holds the view that these employees did not get adequate training to do the job. In addition, they do not have an assembly checklist to follow. The lawsuit alleges that such a checklist is vital to maintaining safety standards.
The plaintiff sounds really harsh in their claim. Johnson states that this is not the first time Walmart is being sued for improper bike assembly. The plaintiff claims that Walmart’s bike assemblers should be trained properly. Also, the company should make sure experts conduct bike inspections before selling them.
Thus, Walmart class action alleges that the company’s workers lack proper training and certification. This led to the negligent bike assembly procedures, according to the complaint. As a result, the plaintiff got injuries. However, Walmart could have provided proper training for its employees by paying around $30 for each employee.
Besides, the complaint alleges that the company employees are in a pressure to assemble the bikes fast. This also makes it impossible to ensure the safety of the bike when assembling it. They just do not have enough time to properly inspect the bikes before handing them to the buyers.
Who are the class members?
Currently, the plaintiff is seeking to represent a class of Florida and national consumers who bought an improperly assembled bike from Walmart. Yechezkel Rodal of Rodal Law PA is representing the plaintiff in this class action lawsuit.
