Amazon Ladder Collapse Lawsuit Claims Defective Device Caused Permanent Injuries

Lawsuit joins several recent complaints over similar ladder designs that plaintiffs say are defective and prone to failure.

A New York man has filed a lawsuit alleging he suffered severe injuries when a LEVELEVE ladder sold by Amazon collapsed while he was on it at a height of more than 18 feet.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Donald N. Barclay in New York Supreme Court on March 9, 2025, and removed to the U.S. District Court for the District of New York on May 12. It names Amazon.com Inc. and Hangzhou Yiju Keji Youxian Gongsi, doing business as LANOVALITE and LEVELEVE, as defendants.

Barclay claims that Amazon and the ladder manufacturer sold a defectively designed and unreasonably dangerous product. He also alleges that the companies failed to provide adequate warnings about potential risks.

LEVELEVE ladders are marketed as heavy-duty and multi-position devices, which function as A-frames, extension ladders or stair-safe ladders. However, according to Barclay’s complaint, the ladders may collapse under normal use, resulting in serious falls that can cause severe and permanent injuries.

Amazon Ladder Collapse Allegations

In the complaint, Barclay indicates he purchased a LEVELEVE ladder, model T1Z1-HJ24-6BU-1, from Amazon on November 9, 2025. The ladder was sold on Amazon by a third-party seller, Hangzhou Yijiu Keji Youxian Gongsi.

Barclay states he was using the ladder on November 21, 2025, when it collapsed unexpectedly. He was approximately 18 feet up in the air at the time and violently fell to the ground, sustaining severe and permanent injuries as a result.

The lawsuit alleges the ladder was defectively designed and that both the manufacturer and Amazon knew, or should have known, the product posed a safety risk to consumers. Barclay also claims the companies had a duty to warn users about the hazard, arguing the ladders could not be safely used as intended.

“The plaintiff was caused to suffer and sustain severe and permanent serious personal injuries, severe and serious pain and suffering and mental anguish; plaintiff has been caused to expend and to become obligated to expend sums of money for medical services and related expenses.”

— Barclay v. Amazon.com et al.

The lawsuit raises allegations of negligence, breach of warranty, strict products liability and express warranty. Barclay is seeking compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and severe and permanent injuries.

Ladder Collapse Lawsuits

A number of similar ladder collapse lawsuits have been brought against major brands in recent years, each raising similar allegations of defective product designs.

A Little Giant ladder lawsuit was filed in October 2025, which claimed that the company’s defective ladder design caused several fall injuries, including one that resulted in a man suffering a left temporal fracture with auditory loss and intracranial hemorrhaging, among other injuries. The complaint indicated that the ladders had been plagued by issues with locking pins which led to a prior recall of more than 37,000 ladders.

In addition, a Home Depot and Louisville Ladder lawsuit brought in April of this year claims a ladder collapsed during use, causing serious spinal injuries and nerve damage. 

A separate Werner Ladder product liability lawsuit was also filed last month after the l-beam side rails on that device buckled and bent during use. The user suffered fractures, required surgery, and now struggles with ongoing pain and disability.

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