Drawstring Settlements
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) announced on Tuesday that several firms agreed to pay substantial penalties in exchange for not having to acknowledge that they knowingly violated the law regarding reporting product defects to the CPSC.
According to federal law, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers must report to the CPSC any product that contains a defect creating an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death or fails to comply with any consumer product safety guideline or rule. In fact, the CPSC issued drawstring guidelines in 1996 to help prevent children from strangling or getting entangled.
In 1997, the clothing industry adopted a voluntary standard for drawstrings, incorporating these guidelines, and, in May 2006, the CPSC announced that children’s sweaters and jackets (“upper outerwear”) with drawstrings at the hood or neck will be regarded as defective and as presenting a substantial risk of injury to young children.
Unheeded by these guidelines and standards, certain manufacturers continued to market upper outer wear with drawstrings in the hood or neck. The result was some pretty hefty fines. Two New Jersey firms, Maran Inc. and K.S. Trading Corp, agreed to pay $85,000 in civil penalties. Kohl’s Department Stores, Inc., also agreed to pay a civil penalty of $425,000. Hill Sportswear, Inc., too agreed to pay a civil penalty of $100,000.
If you or someone you love has been injured by an article of clothing containing a drawstring, contact one of our skilled Tennessee product liability attorneys to learn about your legal options. Our offices are located in Knoxville and Sevierville, but we represent injured parties throughout Tennessee. Dial 866-853-2888 to speak with a member of our personal injury legal team.
