Harmonix, EA sued for flimsy Rock Band kick pedal
by Griffin McElroy 
on Nov 22nd 2008 4:00PM
Some of Joystiq's heavier-footed staffers have experienced the heartbreak that comes from snapping the original
Rock Band kick pedal in the midst of a feverish playthough of
Paramore's "That's What You Get" er, Judas Priest's "Painkiller". However, we never thought to take the bold course of action currently being followed by one Monte Morgan, who recently
filed a class-action suit against Harmonix, MTV Networks (as well as parent company Viacom), and Electronic Arts for producing and distributing such an easily busted bass drum beater.
Morgan claims that the pedal "fractures under ordinary and expected usage," keeping potential faux-drummers from playing
Rock Band "in the manner marketed and advertised." He also cites Harmonix and MTV Games for selling the original kit with knowledge of the pedal's fragility -- evidenced, he claims, by the
metal-reinforced pedal included in
Rock Band 2. His case calls for reimbursement of the purchase price of the
Rock Band drum kit, and for the title's publishers to stop selling the brittle peripheral. We suggest another settlement -- just include a
free dab of Rock Jam in every bundle. Everybody wins!
