POMPANO BEACH, Fla., Nov. 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On October 29, 2018, The United States Federal Court, in the southern district of Florida denied a motion for class certification filed against Point Blank Enterprises, Inc., and dismissed the case. In the case (OSTA, et al. v. Point Blank Enterprises, Inc., 0:17-cv-62051-UU, S.D. Fla.), a few individual Ohio police officers and two law enforcement associations alleged that a nationwide class should be certified to pursue claims that Point Blank’s Self-Suspending Ballistic System (SSBS) for shoulder straps used on bulletproof vests were defective. Notably, the plaintiffs in the case did not claim that any wearer had been injured because of the SSBS, and did not allege any deficiency with the ballistics or bullet-stopping power of the vests. Instead, the plaintiffs’ lawyers alleged a defect in the “hook and loop” closure portion of the SSBS when a wearer used the SSBS in a certain way, allegedly causing the shoulder straps to wear out prematurely.
The denial of the class motion, and the associated dismissal of the claims asserted by the plaintiffs, enables Point Blank to continue to design, manufacture, and sell its body armor utilizing the SSBS.
Point Blank has provided millions of vests to the U.S. military and U.S. law enforcement and no officer has been injured as a result of the manufacturing and/or design defect the plaintiffs allege, and in fact many officers’ lives have been saved. Over 100 law enforcement officers’ lives have been saved since 2012 and many more as a result of wearing Point Blank Body Armor over the past 45-years. Point Blank Body Armor is the most popular body armor worn by Officers in America today with the largest agencies in the country today using Point Blank Body Armor as the personal protection of choice. Point Blank body armor with SSBS has been the model of choice for American law enforcement over the past 10-years.
Executive Vice President, Hoyt Schmidt, stated, “We have been committed to the law enforcement community for more than 45 years, offering vast experience and expertise in saving and protecting the lives of law enforcement officers, corrections officers, and first responders. Point Blank provides high performance and quality body armor products in many different models and styles. The ruling reaffirms Point Blank’s position that the SSBS is a safe shoulder strapping system for its ballistic vests, and underscores just one more reason why Point Blank Body Armor is preferred by the majority of law enforcement users. We stand behind the performance, the durability and the safety of those products, and we appreciate and value our end-users as they protect and defend the United States and our communities. Point Blank is committed to customer service, and has a process in place for reviewing customer complaints and warranty claims regarding Point Blank products and working directly with its customers to resolve any issues in a timely manner. We appreciate your continued support of Point Blank products and remain dedicated to customer satisfaction.”
About Point Blank Enterprises, Inc.
Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. is a leading provider of high performance protective solutions, including bullet, fragmentation and stab resistant apparel and related accessories. Through its key brands, Point Blank Body Armor, Protective Apparel Corporation of America (PACA), Protective Products, PARACLETE®, The Protective Group (TPG), Advanced Technology Group (ATG), and First Tactical, the Company ranks as the largest global supplier of ballistic armor systems in the world. The Company’s ballistic solutions have been credited with saving countless lives for the most important customers in the world, including the U.S. Armed Forces, Department of Defense, Federal Government and law enforcement, corrections and security personnel, both domestically and abroad. For more information on our Company, please visit our website at www.pointblankenterprises.com.
