Mika Micky Bedside Bassinet Lawsuit Filed Against Amazon Over Infant’s Suffocation Death

Lawsuit claims Amazon sold and distributed the bassinet without adequately ensuring it met safety standards for infant sleep.

A Minnesota father is pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that a Mika Micky bedside bassinet sold by the on-line retailer caused the suffocation death of his infant daughter.

The complaint (PDF) was originally brought last month in Minnesota state court by David Sullivan, acting as trustee for the next of kin of his daughter, Summer Sullivan. However, the lawsuit was removed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on January 15.

Amazon.com Inc. and the manufacturer Redline Commerce Inc., which does business as Mika Micky, are named as defendants in the case, alleging that the popular bassinets are defectively designed and unreasonably dangerous for infant sleep, due to an increased risk of suffocation.

Infant Sleeper Product Dangers

In recent years, federal regulators and pediatric safety experts have linked a number of infant suffocation deaths to baby sleeper products. Fatal incidents have frequently involved items such as infant rockers, gliders, soothers and swings that have been marketed as safe for sleep, despite creating dangerous positioning risks.

In April 2019, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned parents to stop using Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play sleepers once infants showed signs of being able to roll over. The agency cautioned that the inclined design could allow babies to roll onto their stomachs and become trapped against the sleep surface, increasing the risk of suffocation.

Less than two weeks later, the CPSC announced a nationwide recall of all Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper models. In the years following, the company faced numerous wrongful death lawsuits and multiple class action complaints, many of which were resolved in a $19 million settlement announced in July 2024.

However, a few months after the settlement agreement, Fisher-Price recalled 2.1 million Snuga Swings, which were linked to five infant suffocation deaths. This recall occurred just days before a CPSC announcement of new safety rules for infant cushions and pillows on October 16, 2024.

According to Sullivan’s complaint, on February 16, 2023, his five-month-old daughter was placed down for a nap in a Mika Micky bedside bassinet at the family’s home in Shoreview, Minnesota. Shortly afterward, Sullivan says he found the infant unresponsive, with her face pressed against the side of the bassinet.

Emergency responders attempted lifesaving measures, and the child was transported to Children’s Minnesota–St. Paul. According to the complaint, she never regained consciousness and later died from asphyxia complications caused by airway occlusion.

The lawsuit claims the Mika Micky bassinet was defectively designed in a way that substantially increased the risk of suffocation by allowing an infant’s face to become pressed against areas of the bassinet that restrict airflow and interfere with normal gas exchange.

According to the allegations, portions of the bassinet’s sides were insufficiently firm and created occlusion zones where oxygen intake could be compromised. The complaint asserts that these design characteristics made the product unreasonably dangerous for infant use, even when assembled correctly and used in a foreseeable manner.

Sullivan contends that Redline Commerce, the manufacturer of the Mika Micky bassinet, knew or should have known that the product’s design exposed infants to an increased risk of suffocation before releasing it into the marketplace. The lawsuit further alleges that Amazon marketed, sold and distributed the bassinet without adequately ensuring that it was safe for infant sleep.

“As a direct and proximate result of the Amazon’s negligence as alleged hereinabove, Summer Sullivan died.”

— David Sullivan et al v. Amazon.com Inc. et al

The complaint raises allegations of strict product liability, design defect, failure to warn, negligence, and breach of express and implied warranties against both defendants. Sullivan also claims that Amazon had an independent duty to exercise reasonable care in offering infant products for sale on its platform and failed to protect consumers from foreseeable harm.

According to the lawsuit, Summer’s death resulted in extensive damages, including conscious pain and suffering, medical expenses, funeral and burial costs, as well as the loss of care, companionship and support suffered by her surviving family members.

As a result, the lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $50,000, along with interest, costs and other relief permitted under Minnesota law.

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