IKEA agrees to $50 million settlement in dresser tip-over case-law firm

[December 22, 2016]  STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - IKEA has agreed to pay a total $50 million to three families in the United States whose children died when the budget furniture group's dresser MALM tipped over them, lawyers representing the families said.

The IKEA logo is seen outside IKEA Concept Center, a furniture store and headquarters of the IKEA brand owner Inter IKEA, in Delft, the Netherlands March 16, 2016. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

The families were represented by Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock & Dodig LLP which said in a statement the Swedish retailer had also agreed to donate funds to children's hospitals as part of the settlement.

IKEA confirmed a tentative settlement had been reached in an e-mailed statement to Reuters, but declined to comment further as the settlement had yet to be approved by court.

Two U.S. toddlers died in separate 2014 incidents when MALM dressers fell on them. A 22-month-old boy was killed this year in a similar incident, which occurred after IKEA had announced a repair program including a free wall-anchoring kit.

In June, IKEA recalled about 8 million MALM chests and dressers and 21 million other models of chests and dressers in the United States. About 6.6 million were recalled in Canada.

(Reporting by Johannes Hellstrom; Editing by Alistair Scrutton)

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