Haier America Trading Agrees to Pay $850K Civil Penalty

10/8/2012 10:00 AM EST

Haier America Trading will pay $850,000 to resolve allegations that it failed to promptly report a defective blender to federal safety regulators.

That’s the amount the company will pay as a civil penalty to resolve the claims by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  In agreeing to settle, the company denied all the allegations made by the CPSC.

During use, the nut that holds the blender’s blade assembly can dislodge, allowing the blade assembly pieces to break apart and crack the blender’s glass jar, posing a laceration hazard to consumers, according to CPSC.  Nearly 60 incidents and an injury to a consumer’s hand are attributed to the problem blenders.

According to the Consumer Reports, the blenders were sold through retail stores from October 2006 to October 2009. Despite being aware of the incidents from January 2007 to September 2009, the company did not file a complete report with the CPSC as required by the federal law until October 2009. 

In December 2009, Haier America issued a recall for approximately 54,000 blenders.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by an unsafe or defective product, contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation and to find out if a product liability lawyer may be able to help you.