Target Water Beads Wrongful Death Lawsuit, What’s Been Alleged So Far — Bethard v. Target Corporation, Hennepin County District Court

A Wisconsin family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Target this week, alleging the retailer knew a water bead toy could kill a child and sold it anyway without warning customers. Their 10-month-old daughter, Esther Jo Bethard, died in July 2023 after swallowing a single bead. Here’s what’s been alleged, confirmed, and what parents should know if this product is still in their home.

Who Is Being Sued and Why

Taylor and Tyler Bethard filed suit against several Target Corporation entities in Hennepin County District Court in Minnesota, where Target is headquartered. The complaint brings claims for negligence, wrongful death, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and damages for the injuries Esther Jo suffered. The family is represented by Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig LLP and Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben.

The core allegation: Target knew, before Esther Jo’s death, that its Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit had already sent two other young children to the hospital with life-threatening injuries — and chose not to tell customers who’d already bought it.

What Happened, According to the Lawsuit

The Bethards bought the Chuckle & Roar kit at Target in April 2022 as a sensory toy for their older children. The complaint says the family used it only under adult supervision and stored it in a sealed bag on a high shelf when not in use.

In the months after that purchase, two separate incidents were reported to Target. In August 2022, a one-year-old in Nevada suffered a collapsed lung after a bead expanded in his airway. Three months later, a toddler in Maine needed surgery to remove a bead lodged in her bowel. Both families reported what happened directly to Target.

On November 17, 2022, manufacturer Buffalo Games told Target it would stop selling the kit. Target pulled it from shelves the next day. The lawsuit alleges that’s where Target’s response stopped — no notice went out to the households, including the Bethards, who already owned the product.

That’s the crux of the case. Not that Target sold a dangerous toy once. That it learned the toy was dangerous, took it off shelves quietly, and left already-purchased kits in homes with no warning.

Related article: Bill Joiner v. Channel 5 Lawsuit, Everything That’s Happened So Far

What Happened to Esther Jo

Esther Jo swallowed a single water bead in July 2023, roughly nine months after Target had already pulled the product from stores. According to the lawsuit, she became sick that evening; her condition appeared to stabilize overnight, and her parents found her unresponsive the next morning. Medical examiners told the family her death was consistent with complications from ingesting a water bead — the bead had expanded inside her body and caused a fatal internal obstruction.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled roughly 52,000 units of the Chuckle & Roar kit on September 14, 2023 — two months after Esther Jo died, citing ingestion, choking, and obstruction hazards.

Why Water Beads Are Dangerous

Water beads are small polymer spheres, originally developed for agricultural use to hold moisture in soil. They’re sold as toys because they’re colorful and expand dramatically in water — by 150 to 1,500 times their original size, according to the National Capital Poison Center. That’s exactly what makes them dangerous if swallowed: they don’t pass through a child’s digestive system like most foreign objects. They keep absorbing fluid and expanding inside the body, which can cause an intestinal blockage. The CPSC recorded roughly 6,300 water-bead-related emergency room visits for ingestion between 2017 and 2022 alone, and this isn’t the industry’s first recall — similar products were recalled in 2012 and 2013 for the same risk.

Has This Happened Before in Court?

Yes. The Bethards originally filed a version of this lawsuit in Erie County, New York, in 2025, against both Target and manufacturer Buffalo Games, since that’s where the manufacturer is based. Target denied knowing about an “extraordinary danger” and failing to warn customers. That case was dismissed against Target on jurisdictional grounds, which is why the family refiled in Hennepin County, Minnesota — Target’s home turf — this week.

What Has Target Said?

Target’s public statement: “We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by this tragedy, and we worked closely with the manufacturer of the product at the time the incident occurred.” A spokesperson said Target would not comment further on active litigation. Target has not yet filed a formal response to the new Minnesota complaint.

What Came Out of This Case

Esther Jo’s mother, Taylor Bethard, has spent the years since her daughter’s death pushing for tighter regulation of water beads. She testified before the CPSC in 2025. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin introduced federal legislation in 2024, known as Esther’s Law, that would classify certain water bead products as banned hazardous products under the Consumer Product Safety Act. Earlier this year, the CPSC announced a new federal safety standard for water beads that sets maximum expansion limits and requires stronger warning labels. Target, Walmart, and Amazon have all said they stopped marketing water beads to children following the 2023 recall.

What Parents Should Do Right Now

This isn’t a class action, so there’s no claim form or deadline here — but if water beads are in your home, this is worth acting on today, not eventually.

1. Check whether you own the Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit or any other water bead product. If so, check it against the CPSC’s recall list at cpsc.gov.
2. Don’t rely on “supervised use only” as a safeguard. A single stray bead is enough, and beads are easy to lose track of in carpet, toy bins, or under furniture.
3. If you have young children or infants in the home, the safest move is to remove water bead products entirely rather than trying to manage the risk.
4. If a child swallows a water bead, treat it as a medical emergency. Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or go to an emergency room — don’t wait to see if symptoms appear.
5. Report any injury involving a water bead product to SaferProducts.gov, which is how incidents reach the CPSC in the first place.

Case Snapshot

Detail	Information
Case Name	Bethard v. Target Corporation
Court	Hennepin County District Court, Minnesota
Case Number	UNVERIFIED — not published in available news coverage
Filed	Week of July 6, 2026
Claims	Negligence, wrongful death, intentional infliction of emotional distress, injury damages
Plaintiffs’ Counsel	Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig LLP; Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben
Settlement Status	No settlement — lawsuit just filed

Timeline

Date	Event
March 2022	Target begins selling the Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit exclusively
April 2022	The Bethard family purchases the kit
August 2022	A 1-year-old in Nevada suffers a collapsed lung after ingesting a bead
November 2022	A toddler in Maine requires surgery after ingesting a bead
November 17, 2022	Manufacturer tells Target it will stop selling the product
November 18, 2022	Target pulls the kit from shelves; no customer notification is sent
July 7, 2023	Esther Jo Bethard dies after swallowing a water bead
September 14, 2023	CPSC recalls roughly 52,000 units of the kit
2024	Esther’s Law introduced in the U.S. Senate
2025	Bethards file suit in New York; case dismissed against Target on jurisdictional grounds
Early 2026	CPSC announces new federal safety standard for water beads
Week of July 6, 2026	Bethards refile suit against Target in Hennepin County, Minnesota

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a class action lawsuit? 

No. This is an individual wrongful death lawsuit filed by one family. There’s no class, no claim form, and no settlement fund to file into.

Is the water bead kit still being sold? 

No. It was recalled by the CPSC in September 2023. Target, Walmart, and Amazon have all said they stopped marketing water bead products to children following that recall.

What is Esther’s Law?

 A bill introduced by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin in 2024 that would classify certain water bead products as banned hazardous products under the Consumer Product Safety Act. It has not been enacted as of this writing.

Did Target ever respond to a similar lawsuit before?

 Yes. The Bethards filed a similar case in New York in 2025. Target denied knowing about an extraordinary danger from the product; that case was dismissed against Target on jurisdictional grounds, leading to the Minnesota refiling.

What should I do if I still have water beads in my home?

 Check the product against the CPSC recall list, and consider removing water bead products entirely if young children or infants are in the household, since a single stray bead is enough to pose a risk.

What should I do if a child swallows a water bead? 

Treat it as a medical emergency. Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or seek emergency care immediately rather than waiting for symptoms.

Sources

• Star Tribune — Lawsuit claims Target knew life-threatening risk of toy that killed a Wisconsin toddler: https://www.startribune.com/lawsuit-claims-target-knew-risk-of-toy-that-killed-a-wisconsin-toddler/601865420
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission — recall database: https://www.cpsc.gov

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The claims described are allegations only and have not been proven in court. If you’re seeking information about a product safety incident involving a child, the CPSC’s SaferProducts.gov database and Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) are additional resources worth having on hand.