If a dresser or TV tipped over on your child, you may be able to sue the company that made or sold it, even if the furniture wasn’t anchored to the wall. Since September 2023, federal law has required most new dressers and chests to pass stability testing, so a dresser that falls when a child pulls a drawer or climbs it may not meet the standard it was supposed to.
If you’re reading this from a hospital waiting room or the first night home, you’re probably replaying the moment and wondering whether it was your fault. A furniture tip-over is one of the most common ways young children are seriously hurt at home, and it happens in careful households too. This guide explains why dressers and TVs tip, what the law now requires, who can be held responsible and what to do right now. A Las Vegas product defect attorney can tell you whether the furniture itself is the problem.
Why Dressers and TVs Tip Over
Children climb. They open drawers and use them as steps, they reach for a remote on top of a dresser, or they lean on a TV stand. When a piece of furniture is top-heavy, too shallow or too light for its height, a child’s weight on an open drawer is enough to bring the whole thing down.
TVs add another risk. Older and larger TVs sitting on dressers or stands that weren’t built to hold them can slide or topple when a child pulls on a cord or the screen. Even a modern flat-screen can fall if the stand or wall mount fails.
Common tip-over defects include:
- Dressers that become unstable with one or two drawers open
- Drawers that slide out too far with no interlock or stop
- Furniture too light or shallow for its height
- TV stands and mounts that can’t hold the TV they’re marketed for
- Anti-tip hardware that’s missing, flimsy or impossible to install properly
- Warnings that are hidden, vague or absent
The STURDY Act: What Federal Law Now Requires of Dressers
After years of child deaths and injuries from furniture tip-overs, Congress passed the STURDY Act. Under it, the Consumer Product Safety Commission adopted a mandatory stability standard for clothing storage units like dressers and chests of drawers that are 27 inches or taller. The standard applies to units made on or after September 1, 2023, and it tests stability under real-world conditions such as open drawers, a child’s weight and carpeted floors.
What that means for your case:
- If the dresser was made after September 2023, failing to meet the standard can be strong evidence of a defect.
- If it’s older, a claim may still be possible. Furniture makers knew about tip-over risks long before the law changed, and many older dressers have been recalled.
- TVs and TV stands aren’t covered by that dresser standard, but they can still be defective under Nevada product liability law.
Check whether your dresser or stand has been recalled at cpsc.gov. Look for the brand and model on a label inside a drawer or on the back panel.
“You Didn’t Anchor It”: Does That End the Claim?
Many parents hear this right away, sometimes from themselves. It doesn’t automatically defeat a claim.
A dresser that can’t stay upright on its own when a drawer is opened may be defectively designed, whether or not a strap was installed. The stability standard tests dressers without anchoring because manufacturers know that many families never install the kit, especially renters who can’t drill into walls.
In Nevada, a defective product claim is usually brought under strict liability, which focuses on whether the product was unreasonably dangerous. The Nevada Supreme Court has held that ordinary comparative negligence rules don’t apply to these claims. A company will still argue that you should have done more, and the facts of every case are different. But “it wasn’t anchored” is an argument, not a verdict. An attorney can look at the furniture, the instructions and the anti-tip hardware that came with it.
Who Can Be Liable for a Tip-Over Injury
The Furniture Maker and Seller
The company that designed and made the dresser is the most common defendant. Depending on how it was sold, the brand owner, the importer, and the store that sold it (a Las Vegas furniture store, a big-box retailer or an online seller) may also be responsible. When more than one company shares fault, our guide to multi-party liability in Nevada explains how recovery works.
TV Stand and Mount Makers
If a TV fell, the claim may involve the company that made the stand or wall mount, especially if it was marketed for a TV of that size and weight, or if the mount hardware failed.
A Landlord, Daycare or Store
Sometimes the furniture wasn’t yours. A furnished rental, a daycare, a relative’s home or a store display can all be the setting for a tip-over. In those cases, the property owner or business may share responsibility for unsafe conditions. Our premises liability lawyers handle those claims, and our guide on whether you can sue your landlord for an injury in Nevada covers rentals.
What to Do Right Now
- Get your child medical care and follow up. Head injuries from a falling dresser or TV can look minor at first. Keep every record and bill.
- Leave the furniture where it is, or keep it. Don’t throw it away, repair it or put it back together. It’s the key evidence.
- Photograph everything: the furniture where it fell, the open drawers, the TV, the wall and any anchoring hardware.
- Find the brand, model and purchase proof. Check inside drawers and on the back panel, and save the receipt or order page.
- Don’t sign anything from a manufacturer, retailer or insurer, including refund or replacement offers, before talking to a lawyer.
When a tip-over causes a serious head or spine injury, the claim has to plan for your child’s future care, not just the ER bill. Our catastrophic injury attorneys handle cases like that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you sue a furniture company for a dresser tip-over?
Yes, if the dresser was defectively designed, made or labeled and that defect caused your child’s injury. Many major furniture brands have recalled dressers over tip-over risks, and families have brought claims against manufacturers and sellers. A dresser that tips when a child opens drawers or climbs it may fail the federal stability standard, if it was made after September 2023, or may still be defective under Nevada law if it was made earlier. Keep the dresser and talk with a defective product attorney about who made and sold it.
Are anti-tip kits required?
Most new dressers come with an anti-tip strap or bracket, and federal rules require clear tip-over warnings. But under the federal stability standard, a dresser also has to pass stability testing without being anchored. A manufacturer can’t rely on an anti-tip kit alone to make an unstable dresser safe. If the kit that came with your furniture was flimsy, missing or confusing, that may be part of your claim too.
Who pays my child’s medical bills after a tip-over injury?
Your health insurance or Medicaid usually pays the bills first. If a product defect caused the injury, a claim against the manufacturer or seller can seek reimbursement for those medical costs, future care, and your child’s pain and suffering. Your insurer may have a right to be repaid from any recovery. A lawyer can help sort out who pays what and make sure future treatment is counted before any settlement.
How long do we have to file a claim for a child’s injury in Nevada?
Deadlines in Nevada product cases depend on who is filing and what is being claimed, and a child’s claim and a parent’s claim can follow different timelines. Our product defect page covers the filing deadlines. Whatever the deadline, the evidence goes first, so preserve the furniture and talk to an attorney soon.
Your Child Was Hurt by Furniture. Let Us Look at Why
You did what every parent does: you bought furniture for your home and trusted it to stay upright. If it didn’t, the question isn’t just what you could have done. It’s whether the company built something that should never have tipped.
Glen Howard spent years as an insurance defense attorney, so he knows how quickly blame gets shifted to parents. Our team handles furniture tip-over and other defective product injury claims across Las Vegas and Nevada, and there’s no fee unless we win. Talk with us in a free, confidential consultation about what happened, and keep the dresser or TV just as it is.
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