A South Carolina mother filed the suit after her child was exposed to a website for over-18s
Toymaker Mattel is facing a potential class action after a website link included in its toys’ packaging directed people to a pornographic site, reported Reuters.
South Carolina mother Holly Ricketson filed the proposed suit on Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court. The suit called out Mattel for negligence, selling products unfit for sale, and violating California consumer protection laws.
Ricketson claimed that she had purchased a Mattel-produced “Wicked” doll for her daughter; on following the link provided in the doll’s packaging, the child wound up on an adult entertainment website. The mother said that both she and her daughter experienced emotional distress over photographs they were exposed to.
Ricketson also claimed that while Mattel recalled the dolls on November 11, the toymaker did not offer refunds. The mother said that if she had been aware of the packaging mistake, she would not have purchased the toy, which was being marketed to children aged four and up.
Thus, the suit is seeking a minimum of US$5 million in damages for anyone in the US who bought “Wicked” dolls packaged with the wrong link.
Mattel released a statement saying that it regretted the error and confirmed that the “Wicked” dolls had been re-released with the correct packaging both in stores and online. According to Reuters, the link in the packaging was supposed to direct people to the website of the recently released Universal Studios movie musical Wicked, which features Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, and not to an adult website with a similar name.
The case is Ricketson v Mattel Inc, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No. 24-10389. The company did not provide comment on the suit.
In addition to “Wicked” dolls, Mattel is known for its Barbie and Hot Wheels products. The toy company is based in El Segundo, California.
