TJX Companies Inc. has agreed to pay the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) $13 million in a civil penalty for selling various recalled products. From 2014 to 2019, the company offered and distributed recalled products in its retail locations nationwide, including T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods. This $13 million agreement settles charges that TJX knowingly sold roughly 1,200 recalled products from 21 separate corrective actions for five years.
The Recalled Products in Question
The CPSC revealed that TJX sold several recalled products in its brick-and-mortar stores and online from March 2014 to October 2019. In November 2019, the CPSC and TJX issued a joint press release that announced TJX sold 19 recalled products. Following the announcement, TJX reported that it discovered sales of 3 additional recalled products. Many of the items TJX continued to sell were recalled due to the risk of infant suffocation and death, such as the Kids II Rocking Sleepers, Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleepers, and Fisher-Price Inclined Sleeper Accessory for Ultra-Lite Day & Night Play Yards.
Other recalled products that remained available in TJX stores included a portable speaker, ceramic door knob, rattle, bar stool, and a coffee press. Hazards that spurred the recalls of these items range from laceration risks to explosions and choking dangers.
CPSC and TJX Reach Settlement Agreement
CPSC charged TJX with knowingly selling, offering for sale, and distributing the recalled products both in stores and online. According to federal law, companies cannot offer for sale, sell, or distribute consumer products subject to voluntary corrective action, like a recall. On August 2, CSPC declared the parties reached a settlement in which TJX agreed to pay $13 million and to maintain internal controls to comply with the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). TJX will establish a program to identify and dispose of recalled products in addition to reviewing and reporting safety concerns to ensure compliance with CPSA standards. The settlement also requires TJX to file annual reports concerning its compliance program and internal controls for five years.