Macy’s Faces $750,000 Fine for Selling Recalled Children’s Clothes
Retail clothing chain Macy’s, Inc. recently agreed to pay $750,000 in fines to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) after the CPSC found that Macy’s had failed to report the fact that it sold children’s clothing with drawstrings, which may pose a choking and strangulation hazard. The CPSC has tentatively decided to accept Macy’s offer.
In 2006, the CPSC ruled that children’s clothing which sported drawstrings in the neck or hood would be considered automatically subject to recall, since the presence of drawstrings in these areas dramatically increased the risk that children might choke or be strangled. The agency also recalled several specific pieces of clothing that contained drawstrings at the same time. However, according to the CPSC, Macy’s continued to sell clothing that contained drawstrings - including many of the garments that were specifically recalled - between 2006 and 2010, despite being aware of the recall. The sales were made in Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Robinson-May stores, all of which are owned by Macy’s, Inc.
A company that continues to sell a product even though it knows the product has been recalled may be prosecuted for a federal crime or face civil suits brought by the CPSC or by persons injured by the defective products. Although Macy’s has agreed to pay the $750,000, the company denies the CPSC’s allegations that it knew it was illegally selling recalled clothing.
Product recalls are especially unnerving when they involve children’s products, since children often cannot recognize the hazards that may exist in their possessions. If you or someone you love has been injured by a defective product in Missouri, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced St. Louis personal injury attorneys at Page Law. For a free and confidential consultation, call us at 314-322-8515 today.
