$1.1 Million Fine for Failing to Report Defective Children’s Dart Set
A New Jersey company has been fined $1,100,000 by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for failing to report a defective toy dart gun set. Manufacturers are required to report product failures to the federal agency immediately after they hear of a defective product and/or an injury that results from the product.
The CPSC says that manufacturer, Henry Gordy International Inc., misrepresented to the CPSC what it knew and when it first knew the toy dart set was defective.
In this case, the toy darts can be inhaled by a child causing him or her to choke and there were three deaths associated with the toy, which was sold at Family Dollar Stores between 2005 and 2009. A toy recall of about 1.8 million of the dart gun sets occurred in May 2010 after the company initially refused to recall the $1.50 item.
Under federal law, a manufacturer, retailer, or distributor must report within 24 hours any risks that consumers encounter with products such as choking, breaking, exploding – anything that endangers a consumer. If you are endangered by a product that is regulated by the CPSC such as toys, power tools, cribs, or household chemicals, among other consumer products, call the agency’s hotline at (800) 638-2772 to report the injury.
Product Liability Law
Under Florida’s product liability laws you can hold the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer responsible for the injuries that result from a defective product. The Jacksonville product liability attorneys at Farah & Farah will offer you a complimentary consultation to discuss an injury that results from the use of a defective product. Call us at (800) 533-3555 so we can begin looking into your options.
Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12010.html?tab=news
