The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of almost 341,000 step stools with storage areas sold at Target. This recall follows an earlier recall this month in which 206,000 stools were recalled. The agency said the stools can break apart and collapse under the weight of users. Target has received 27 reports of stools breaking while being used. The stools were produced in a variety of colors and were sold at Target stores across the country from January 2007 through October 2010.

A Louisiana family has filed a lawsuit against a Gretna, La., police officer who allegedly Tasered a 7-year-old boy during a traffic stop. According to the lawsuit, the officer Tased both the driver and his son after the driver declined to step out of the car during the traffic stop. The boy was treated for burns on his leg caused by the shock. The suit is seeking $325,000 in damages from the officer, the department and the city.

A recently released study concludes that the FDA should “abandon” its present system for approving U.S. medical devices such as the because it fails to ensure patient safety.

Currently the FDA employs a streamlined approach to approve medical device applications such as those for the beleaguered DePuy knee and hip parts – a process that takes 10 months as opposed to several years.

However, this quick process is unreliable. As the result of a faulty or inadequate screening process, many patients with medical devices have found themselves harmed by medical devices, implanted with recalled items that require additional, painful and sometimes dangerous surgeries.

One patient who required revision surgery to fix a recalled DePuy Hip part states, “You put your faith in the doctor and the companies that make these products because they’re the experts…It’s just beyond me to think that things can get approved that don’t really work” reports ABC News.

Unfortunately, faulty medical devices are placed in patients at an alarming rate. A study from the National Research Center for Women and families found that more than 437 million devices were recalled in 2010 due to fears that they might kill and permanently harm patients.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of 77,000 electric baseboard and fan heater thermostats imported by Honeywell International Inc. The agency reported that the thermostats can overheat and begin to smoke and burn. There have been 16 reports of the thermostats melting but no injuries occurred.

A U.S. Army reservist in Iowa has filed a lawsuit against the city of Altoona, Iowa, after he was acquitted of a 2005 hit-and-run murder in a local Lowes parking lot. The lawsuit accused police officers of “unilaterally excluding hundreds of other vehicles that more nearly matched the description of the vehicle that purportedly struck decedent” during their investigation. The plaintiff claims he was arrested without probable cause and that his arrest caused “humiliation, anxiety, loss of sleep, severe mental and emotional distress, legal bills and ‘exposure to public hatred, contempt and ridicule’.”

The city of San Diego has agreed to a $500,000 settlement in a lawsuit filed over an off-duty police shooting of a young boy in 2008. The boy was shot once in the leg during a “road rage” altercation between his mother, who had been driving drunk, and an off-duty officer. The lawsuit was filed by the boy’s father, who was stationed in Iraq at the time of the incident.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of 40,000 pressure washer surface cleaner attachments sold at the Home Depot. Manufactured by Homelite, the agency said the attachments “can break at the nozzle and potentially strike a consumer.” There have been nine reports of the attachments breaking, including one laceration injury.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of about 800 Uvex Funride ski helmets that do no adequately protect the user’s head. The company said that the helmets provide “insufficient shock absorption and resistance to penetration.” The helmets were sold at independent ski shops across the country between January 2009 and April 2011.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of 13,000 Circo Children’s Task Lamps due to the risk of overheating. Sold at Target, the agency said the lamps may overheat, causing parts inside the lamp socket to melt and adhere to the bulb. Target has received six reports of parts melting, but no injuries have occurred.

A New York woman will receive $125,000 from the city of New York after she accused a New York City police officer of denying her insulin. According to the suit, the woman was arrested and jailed for 19 hours for smoking marijuana. While jailed, the officer refused to give the plaintiff her insulin, causing her blood sugar to reach dangerously high levels and nearly killing her.