Ray Managh
A judge has approved a €15,000 settlement offer for a child whose face broke out in a red angry-looking rash after having been cleaned with baby wipes bought in an Aldi store.
Barrister Esther Earley told Judge John O’Connor in the Circuit Civil Court today that the Mamia baby wipes packaging had stated they were fragrance free, mild, gentle, dermatologically tested and hypoallergenic.
Ms Earley, who appeared with Robinson O’Neill Solicitors for Cole Doyle and his mother, Diane Geraghty, of Balcurris Park West, Ballymun, Dublin 11, said the wipes had been manufactured and sold by Aldi.
She told the court that the wipes had been bought by Cole’s mum in Ballymun Aldi store in January 2017 when Cole was only four and after his father had used them to clean his face he had developed a very unpleasant allergic reaction to them.
'Angry looking rash'
“His skin was very sore and peeled as a result of a red angry-looking rash that spread across his face, but it settled down after a number of weeks,” Ms Earley said.
He had been taken to his GP, Dr Charles Smyth, who had recommended a soothing and healing treatment for the boy.
Judge O’Connor, who heard that the boy had developed a mild psychological reaction to the appearance and use of wipes, approved a €15,000 settlement offer from Aldi Stores (Ireland) Ltd, which had conceded liability in the case.
In a list of settlements by defendants in eight road accident claims on behalf of minors under the age of 18, Judge O’Connor today approved offers totalling €136,000. They averaged €17,000 and ranged from €10,000 to €25,000.
