Weldbend And Boltex prevail as federal court orders recall of Ulma's "dangerous" pipeline flanges
Ruling follows jury verdict in favor of Boltex and Weldbend in lawsuit against Ulma for false advertising and unfair competition.
Judge Andrew S. Hanen of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division has issued a permanent injunction and ordered a recall of flanges made by Spanish company, Ulma Forja — part of the Mondragon Corp. — and its U.S. subsidiary, Ulma Piping. The Court found that Ulma, which provides flanges for use in American pipelines, refineries and chemical plants, "intended to deceive customers by mislabeling the flanges" and even did so after 2017, when the original lawsuit was filed.
In ordering the permanent injunction, Judge Hanen stated that "an injunction would greatly benefit the public" and that "[m]islabeling the qualities and characteristics of a product like the flanges in question which are used throughout the petroleum industry, is a dangerous practice." He added that the "public deserves truthful product information especially on products as critical as these flanges potentially are."