T.J. Maxx has agreed to pay a whopping $13 million fine for selling a number of recalled products, including Fisher-Price's Rock 'n Play Sleepers, an item that has been linked to at least 30 infant deaths since 2009.
The agreement settles charges that T.J. Maxx knowingly sold, offered and distributed products that were part of 21 different recalls from March 2014 to October 2019, according to Fox 59. While the U.S. government says the Rock 'n Play Sleepers were linked to 30 child deaths, a congressional report last year found that more than 50 infants died using the dangerous product before it was recalled back in 2019.
The report accused Fisher-Price of keeping the infant sleepers on the market for a decade as it earned $200 million in revenue from it, despite the company's knowledge of infant deaths and safety concerns linked to the product. T.J. Maxx is also accused of selling a since-recalled Kids II Rocking Sleeper, a product that has been linked to at least five infant deaths.
TJX deeply regrets selling recalled products
TJX Companies issued a statement to NBC News, saying that they deeply regret that in some instances between 2014 and 2019, recalled products were not properly removed from their sales floors despite the recall processes that they had in place. The statement added that they have made a significant investment in people, processes, and technology to strengthen their processes, and have cooperated fully with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
TJX Companies owns T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls, among several other discount retail brands. The settlement that was announced on Tuesday does not constitute an admission by the company that it knowingly violated the federal Consumer Product Safety Act. T.J. Maxx still has agreed to maintain a compliance program as well as a system of internal controls to ensure it complies with the act.
CPSC said sales of recalled products were illegal
According to the U.S. CPSC, TJX offered for sale and distributed dangerous recalled products through its website and its retail stores. The federal agency said these sales were illegal and put hazardous products into the hands and homes of unsuspecting consumers.
CPSC added that hundreds of inclined sleepers that pose a suffocation risk to infants as well as a wide range of other products that present laceration hazards, choking hazards, and fire risks were sold after their recall date, which is in violation of federal law.
Majority of the products were recalled due to the risk of death and infant suffocation. Other products included hoverboards with 16 reports of burn injuries, a portable speaker that has multiple reports of it exploding, and knives that broke that caused multiple lacerations requiring stitches.
The company filed a joint news release with the CPSC back in November 2019 about the issue, saying they sold 19 different products. The CPSC said the company reported to staff that it found three additional products after the announcement.
