Warner Bros. Caught In Mega Million-Dollar Lawsuit Over Harry Potter
Ever since A Christmas Story came out in 1983, the phrase “you’ll shoot your eye out,” or similar variations of the iconic phrase have been uttered by concerned parents. This nightmare reportedly came true for a parent whose 3-year-old was severely injured by a Harry Potter wand after it ruptured his retina, according to TMZ. Though we’d argue that an official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle is more dangerous than a magic wand that doubles as a pen, the alleged injury was serious enough to incite an $8 million lawsuit against Warner Bros for the boy’s injuries, emotional distress, as well as punitive damages.
Jessica Perry, the mother of the injured 3-year-old, claims in her lawsuit that the Harry Potter wand was defective, which caused her sons injury.
After a toddler suffered an eye injury from an allegedly defective Harry Potter toy wand, a lawsuit now seeks to take $8 million from Warner Bros. for the product.
Her statement alleges that when her older son was waving the magic wand around, the pen ejected from its casing, flew across the room, and pierced her younger son’s eye, forcing him to require multiple surgeries on his eye. The statement goes on to say that there were similar online reviews warning customers about this possible defect.
The injury sustained from the Harry Potter wand is traumatizing enough, but Perry’s statement further alleges that the aftercare has been traumatizing for her 3-year-old as well. According to the statement, the boy had to use eye drops that were extremely painful and also wear an eye patch that frightened him so much that he couldn’t sleep without the bedroom lights on.
To add insult to injury, the 3-year-old will have to live the rest of his life cautiously because the injury that nearly blinded him puts him at risk for further retinal damage, potentially leading to blindness.
This lawsuit could potentially be disastrous for Warner Bros., who makes a number of Harry Potter-branded products like puzzles, and LEGO sets. The bad publicity could also adversely affect the upcoming Harry Potter series that’s slated for a Max premiere sometime in 2025. But until more details emerge, it remains to be seen whether the eye injury was caused by a faulty product or user error.
As of this writing, Warner Bros. has not made an official statement about the allegedly defective Harry Potter toy. But one thing’s for certain in many cases like this: once the cat’s out of the bag imaginations will run wild, especially for cautious parents who want to keep their kids safe from sustaining similar injuries.
The bad publicity could also adversely affect the upcoming Harry Potter series that’s slated for a Max premiere sometime in 2025.
In other words, even if it’s revealed that the toy isn’t defective, parents may still decide to think twice before purchasing Harry Potter-related memorabilia because of the alleged incident.
Nobody wants to see their child suffer, and if it’s proven without a doubt that the Harry Potter wand is in fact defective, then Warner Bros. will not only lose the lawsuit, but also have to recall the faulty product and probably take a financial hit if other Harry Potter related products see a dip in sales. If the lawsuit gains traction, there’s no telling how much this will impact viewership of the upcoming series.
