CPSC Maximum Civil Penalties Rising Jan. 1
An available enforcement action since the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 1990 was enacted, the maximum penalties will be $100,000 for each violation and $15,150,000 for any related series of violations.
The maximum civil penalty amounts authorized under the Consumer Product Safety Act, the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, and the Flammable Fabrics Act are going up as of Jan. 1, 2012. A Consumer Product Safety Commission notice in the Federal Register announced they are rising as of that date, to account for inflation, to $100,000 for each violation and $15,150,000 for any related series of violations. These amounts will apply to all violations occurring after the effective date.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 set them at $100,000 and $15 million, respectively, and said that no later than Dec. 1, 2011, and every fifth year thereafter, the commission must publish a schedule of maximum authorized penalties applying to violations that occur after Jan. 1 of the following year.
For more information, contact Amy S. Colvin, an attorney in CPSC’s Office of the General Counsel, at 301-504-7639.