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Alan Fiedel focuses his practice on litigation and insurance. A hands-on, information-oriented attorney, he addresses matters of general liability, product liability, professional liability and trucking liability in both state and federal courts. He also handles insurance coverage issues and disputes pertaining to insurers and serves as monitoring counsel for litigation brought in the Caribbean basin and in South America against U.S.-based multinational corporations.

Not surprisingly, following on the heels of various accounts and reports of fires caused by hoverboards, ten manufacturers, distributors and retailers have issued an official recall of 501,000 hoverboards in the United States coordinated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Continue Reading U.S. CPSC Oversees Recall of Hoverboards Citing Risks Associated with Lithium-ion Battery Packs

On May 10, 2016, Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL), the global safety science organization, announced that it issued the first safety certification to the UL 2272 safety requirements for electrical systems of self-balancing scooters (aka hoverboards), which was launched in February 2016. After completing a construction evaluation, safety testing and complying with UL 2272’s marking, labeling and user instruction requirements, a hoverboard manufactured by Ninebot (parent company of Segway) has been found to meet all the requirements. UL reminds consumers that the UL 2272 certification does not address riding safety and that proper safety precautions should be taken when using self-balancing scooters.
Continue Reading UL Issues First Safety Certification for Hoverboards

Multiple UK retailers have asked customers to throw out their hoverboards, the self-balancing scooters that have clambered onto holiday wish lists this season, due to suspected safety issues with the devices. The retailers and the UK’s Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) have said the UK hoverboards were deemed unsafe due to a noncompliant plug for electrical outlets and other parts. This comes at the same time that thousands of these items have been halted at the UK border due to the government’s safety concerns.
Continue Reading Hoverboards Under Attack