by Kelsie Sicinski, Michelle F. Gillice, Jennifer A. Karmonick, and Murad Hussain
On October 29, the status quo fundamentally changed for consumer product safety enforcement. On that date, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the resolution of criminal charges against a Chinese manufacturer and its two subsidiaries under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). This was the very first corporate criminal enforcement action brought under the CPSA, which resulted in a guilty plea from the US subsidiary, a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) for the Chinese parent and its Hong Kong subsidiary, and $91 million in monetary penalties and forfeitures. This development makes clear that an intentional delay in reporting a consumer product safety defect, hazard, or risk to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has the potential to lead to both civil and criminal corporate liability under the CPSA.