IKEA lawsuits over the past decade have centered on one devastating issue — children killed by tip-over dressers — producing close to $100 million in wrongful death settlements and helping push Congress to make furniture stability standards mandatory. The company has also settled a consolidated age discrimination collective action, drawn a sanctions order for destroying evidence in that case, and in 2026 was sued in a proposed class action over tariff-related price increases.
Dresser Tip-Over Wrongful Death Settlements
IKEA’s Malm dresser line was linked to the deaths of at least eight children over roughly two decades. The dressers did not meet a voluntary U.S. industry stability standard (ASTM F2057) and could topple forward when a child climbed on open drawers or pulled on the unit. Plaintiffs described the products as “inherently unstable” and alleged IKEA knew about the hazard for years before acting.
The $50 Million Settlement in 2016
In December 2016, IKEA agreed to pay $50 million to the families of three toddlers killed by Malm dressers: Curren Collas (age 2), crushed by a six-drawer Malm in West Chester, Pennsylvania; Camden Ellis (age 2), killed by a three-drawer Malm in Snohomish, Washington; and Ted McGee (age 2), asphyxiated by a six-drawer Malm in Apple Valley, Minnesota.1Feldman Shepherd. 50 Million Settlement IKEA Dresser Tip Cases The payment was divided equally among the three families.
Beyond the money, the settlement required IKEA to sell only dressers meeting or exceeding the ASTM F2057-14 stability standard in the United States and to expand funding for its “Secure It” public awareness campaign across national television, digital, and in-store channels. IKEA also made charitable donations totaling $250,000 to children’s hospitals and a child safety nonprofit.1Feldman Shepherd. 50 Million Settlement IKEA Dresser Tip Cases
The $46 Million Dudek Settlement in 2020
Despite the 2016 recall and settlement, another child died. In May 2017, two-year-old Jozef Dudek was napping in his California home when he climbed out of bed, pulled an unsecured three-drawer Malm dresser onto himself, and was found by his father with his head trapped between the drawers. He died of asphyxiation.2NPR. IKEA Reaches $46 Million Settlement Over Death of Toddler Killed by Dresser Tip-Over His parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Philadelphia in 2018.
IKEA settled the case in late December 2019 for $46 million, which the family’s attorneys described as the largest child wrongful death recovery in American history.3Feldman Shepherd. $46 Million Settlement for IKEA Dresser Tip-Over Case IKEA did not formally admit fault but agreed to expand its outreach to owners of recalled dressers through email and social media and to meet with Parents Against Tip-Overs, an advocacy group formed by families of victims.4Consumer Reports. IKEA Settlement Furniture Tip-Over Death The Dudek family pledged to donate $1 million of the settlement to safety organizations.2NPR. IKEA Reaches $46 Million Settlement Over Death of Toddler Killed by Dresser Tip-Over Combined, Feldman Shepherd reported recovering “almost $100 million” for families affected by IKEA dresser tip-overs.
Recalls and the STURDY Act
The litigation ran alongside federal recalls. In June 2016, the CPSC and IKEA recalled approximately 29 million chests and dressers sold in the United States, including about 8 million Malm units and 21 million other models, plus 6.6 million more sold in Canada. The recall was reannounced in November 2017, by which point eight child deaths and hundreds of tip-over incidents had been reported.5CPSC. IKEA Reannounces Recall of MALM and Other Models of Chests and Dressers Consumers could choose a full refund or a free wall-anchoring kit with optional in-home installation.6CPSC. IKEA Recalls 29 Million MALM and Other Models of Chests and Dressers
Uptake was limited. As of mid-2019, only about 400,000 refunds had been issued for the 17.3 million recalled units, and roughly 1.02 million free wall-anchoring kits had been distributed since 2015.4Consumer Reports. IKEA Settlement Furniture Tip-Over Death In March 2020, IKEA recalled an additional 820,000 Kullen 3-drawer chests for the same hazard.6CPSC. IKEA Recalls 29 Million MALM and Other Models of Chests and Dressers
Congress responded. The STURDY Act (Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth), introduced by Senator Amy Klobuchar with Senators Bob Casey and Richard Blumenthal, was signed into law in late 2022.7Office of Senator Klobuchar. Bipartisan Klobuchar Legislation Signed Into Law The law directed the CPSC to adopt a mandatory stability standard, and on April 19, 2023, the agency voted to adopt ASTM F2057-23, effective September 1, 2023. The standard requires testing that simulates open drawers, carpeted floors, and the weight of a child up to 60 pounds, and it mandates an anti-tip device in the box with every qualifying product.8CPSC. Clothing Storage Units Business Guidance IKEA publicly supported the rule, calling it a “major step forward,” and now says its clothing storage units are designed and tested to meet the standard.9IKEA. IKEA Statement on CPSC Determination
Age Discrimination Collective Actions
A second major litigation track involved five collective-action lawsuits alleging systematic age discrimination at IKEA’s U.S. retail stores. The lead case, Donofrio v. IKEA US Retail, LLC, was filed in February 2018 in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Frank Donofrio, a 55-year-old employee who alleged that IKEA’s promotion practices favored younger workers over employees aged 40 and older.10HR Dive. IKEA Settles Age Bias Claims A related case, Paine v. IKEA Holding US, Inc., was filed in February 2019 by a 48-year-old employee who alleged he was passed over for a promotion given to workers in their late twenties and then demoted to a position paying $10 less per hour.11HR Dive. IKEA Hit With 5th Lawsuit Alleging Age Discrimination
The suits, brought under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, alleged a corporate culture in which management openly expressed ageist stereotypes and labeled older workers as lacking “potential.”10HR Dive. IKEA Settles Age Bias Claims Donofrio, Paine, and Antonelli v. IKEA Holding US, Inc. were consolidated before Judge Anita B. Brody and conditionally certified as collective actions.12Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Paine v. IKEA Holding US, Inc.
During discovery, IKEA was sanctioned for destroying evidence. Judge Brody found the company had failed to produce documents and could not explain the absence of emails from certain custodians it had been ordered to preserve. In a May 2024 order, the court established as a finding for further proceedings that IKEA had a “common employer practice” of “favoring younger employees for leadership development and management level positions.” In July 2024, the court ordered IKEA to pay $566,297 in attorneys’ fees and $435 in expenses for the spoliation.13Console Mattiacci Law. Donofrio et al. Opinion Re. Sanctions Amount All five age discrimination cases resolved through a private settlement, and Judge Brody dismissed the consolidated matters on August 6, 2025. The financial terms were not disclosed.10HR Dive. IKEA Settles Age Bias Claims
2026 Tariff Refund Class Action
In May 2026, two IKEA customers filed a proposed federal class-action lawsuit in Philadelphia alleging that IKEA raised prices to offset the costs of tariffs and then failed to issue refunds after a Supreme Court decision struck down those tariffs.146ABC. IKEA Customers File Federal Class-Action Lawsuit in Philadelphia Over Tariffs One of the two named plaintiffs is seeking a refund of less than $20. As of mid-2026, IKEA has not publicly commented on the suit, and the case remains in its early stages.15Philadelphia Inquirer. IKEA Tariff Refunds Lawsuit
Other Suits and Regulatory Penalties
Smaller matters round out IKEA’s legal record. In 2008, the CPSC imposed a $500,000 civil penalty on IKEA North America Services for failing to promptly report defects in approximately 133,000 sets of outdoor candles that posed fire and burn hazards; IKEA denied the allegations as part of the settlement.16Federal Register. IKEA North American Services, LLC Settlement
On the employment side, a 2018 suit by a former senior human resources employee alleged gender discrimination and retaliation. In 2020, two former California employees filed a class action claiming they were denied proper wages, overtime, and meal and rest breaks.17ClassAction.org. IKEA Distribution Services Inc. A 2024 race discrimination suit in Virginia, Goodman v. IKEA US Retail LLC, was largely dismissed that October, with the judge throwing out claims for defamation, breach of contract, conspiracy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.18Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Ex-Employee’s Suit Against IKEA Significantly Narrowed IKEA has also drawn a modest record of workplace safety fines from federal regulators, totaling roughly $60,000 across seven U.S. citations between 2010 and 2023.19Good Jobs First Violation Tracker. IKEA Violation Tracker