In June 2025, two former executives were each sentenced to more than three years in prison for conspiracy and failure to report hazardous products to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ("CPSC"), marking the first...more
As we previously reported, in November 2023, two corporate executives were convicted of conspiracy and failure to report defective dehumidifiers in violation of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). This groundbreaking...more
If the first two waves of PFAS litigation focused on impacts to natural resources—namely groundwater—and personal injury claims alleging exposure to PFAS, the third wave of PFAS litigation has certainly arrived. Originally...more
On July 30, 2024, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a Decision and Order against Amazon, finding that Amazon is a "distributor" of third-party products, as defined by the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA),...more
In November 2023, a jury convicted two corporate executives of conspiracy and failure to report information about defective residential dehumidifiers as required by the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). The jury verdict is...more
Last month, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (the “CPSC”), through its Small Business Ombudsman team (the “SBO Team”), published its safety guide for online sellers. The SBO Team is touting this new publication, the...more
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch (CPB) released its first-ever annual "recent highlights" report. The report describes the CPB's accomplishments from October...more
Regulatory challenges and legal threats facing product manufacturers change at rapid pace, and this is especially true in a post COVID-19 world. Join Bricker attorneys and distinguished experts as we cover a myriad of...more
As companies increasingly open and support online marketplaces for third parties to sell goods and products, the question has arisen as to what happens when one of those products is defective. Who is liable for any harm the...more
There’s a new class action trend consumer product companies need to be aware of that is not only causing additional stress when faced with a recall but also increased expense and adverse publicity. There are a number of...more
The Internet of Things (IoT) products have become a way of life. There are huge benefits of “smart” products, which interact through the internet to gather and exchange data to provide additional functions, security, and easy...more
The Consumer Product Safety Act requires manufacturers, importers, and distributors of consumer products to report hazardous defects. Failure to comply can subject the individual officers and employees to criminal penalties. ...more
Last Friday, ten consumer and privacy advocacy groups, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Center for Digital Democracy, and Consumer Watchdog, sent a letter to Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle, requesting...more
A federal district court in Wisconsin recently ruled against a product manufacturer, finding it liable for failing to report timely in a rare U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)-backed lawsuit. United States v....more
At only the halfway point in 2016, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC” or the “Commission”) has already broken last year’s record for total amount of civil penalties. Thanks in part to the largest CPSC civil...more
It is no secret that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is ramping up its efforts to enforce various aspects of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), especially the provisions about a company’s failure to...more
Good Friday was not so good for Gree Electric Appliances, Inc., because the CPSC announced that it had reached a record-setting $15.45 million settlement with the company regarding dehumidifiers it manufactured and imported....more
So what is the CPSC’s “fast track recall” program and what is the benefit of participating in it? What is a “stop sale notice” and why does the CPSC generally request it for fast track recalls? What else is required by the...more
On Wednesday of last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that a complaint has been filed in federal court against Spectrum Brands, Inc. (Spectrum). Notably, this is...more
Three Senate Democrats recently introduced a bill that seeks to hold company executives of a product maker or seller criminally liable for knowingly "failing to inform and warn of serious dangers" associated with a product....more