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Consumer Product Safety Act
15 U.S.C. Section 2064
§ 2064. Substantial product hazards
(a) "Substantial product hazard" defined
For purposes of this section, the term "substantial product
hazard" means:
(1) a failure to comply with an applicable consumer product safety
rule which creates a substantial risk of injury to the public, or
(2) a product defect which (because of the pattern of defect, the
number of defective products distributed in commerce, the severity of the risk, or
otherwise) creates a substantial risk of injury to the public.
(b) Noncompliance with applicable consumer product safety rules;
product defects; notice to Commission by manufacturer, distributor, or retailer Every
manufacturer of a consumer product distributed in commerce, and every distributor and
retailer of such product, who obtains information which reasonably supports the conclusion
that such product:
(1) fails to comply with an applicable consumer product safety rule
or with a voluntary consumer product safety standard upon which the Commission has relied
under section 2058 of this
title;
(2) contains a defect which could create a substantial product
hazard described in subsection (a)(2) of this section; or
(3) creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death, shall
immediately inform the Commission of such failure to comply, of such defect, or of such
risk, unless such manufacturer, distributor, or retailer has actual knowledge that the
Commission has been adequately informed of such defect, failure to comply, or such risk.
(c) Public notice of defect or failure to comply; mail notice
If the Commission determines (after affording interested persons,
including consumers and consumer organizations, an opportunity for a hearing in accordance
with subsection (f) of this section) that a product distributed in commerce presents a
substantial product hazard and that notification is required in order to adequately
protect the public from such substantial product hazard, the Commission may order the
manufacturer or any distributor or retailer of the product to take any one or more of the
following actions:
(1) To give public notice of the defect or failure to comply.
(2) To mail notice to each person who is a manufacturer,
distributor, or retailer of such product.
(3) To mail notice to every person to whom the person required to
give notice knows such product was delivered or sold. Any such order shall specify the
form and content of any notice required to be given under such order.
(d) Repair; replacement; refunds; action plan
If the Commission determines (after affording interested parties,
including consumers and consumer organizations, an opportunity for a hearing in accordance
with subsection (f) of this section) that a product distributed in commerce presents a
substantial product hazard and that action under this subsection is in the public
interest, it may order the manufacturer or any distributor or retailer of such product to
take whichever of the following actions the person to whom the order is directed elects:
(1) To bring such product into conformity with the requirements of
the applicable consumer product safety rule or to repair the defect in such product.
(2) To replace such product with a like or equivalent product which
complies with the applicable consumer product safety rule or which does not contain the
defect.
(3) To refund the purchase price of such product (less a reasonable
allowance for use, if such product has been in the possession of a consumer for one year
or more (A) at the time of public notice under subsection (c) of this section, or (B) at
the time the consumer receives actual notice of the defect or noncompliance, whichever
first occurs). An order under this subsection may also require the person to whom it
applies to submit a plan, satisfactory to the Commission, for taking action under
whichever of the preceding paragraphs of this subsection under which such person has
elected to act. The Commission shall specify in the order the persons to whom refunds must
be made if the person to whom the order is directed elects to take action described in
paragraph (3). If an order under this subsection is directed to more than one person, the
Commission shall specify which person has the election under this subsection. An order
under this subsection may prohibit the person to whom it applies from manufacturing for
sale, offering for sale, distributing in commerce, or importing into the customs territory
of the United States (as defined in general note 2 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of
the United States), or from doing any combination of such actions, the product with
respect to which the order was issued.
(e) Reimbursement
(1) No charge shall be made to any person (other than a
manufacturer, distributor, or retailer) who avails himself of any remedy provided under an
order issued under subsection (d) of this section, and the person subject to the order
shall reimburse each person (other than a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer) who is
entitled to such a remedy for any reasonable and foreseeable expenses incurred by such
person in availing himself of such remedy.
(2) An order issued under subsection (c) or (d) of this section with
respect to a product may require any person who is a manufacturer, distributor, or
retailer of the product to reimburse any other person who is a manufacturer, distributor,
or retailer of such product for such other person's expenses in connection with carrying
out the order, if the Commission determines such reimbursement to be in the public
interest.
(f) Hearing
An order under subsection (c) or (d) of this section may be issued
only after an opportunity for a hearing in accordance with section 554 of title 5 except that, if
the Commission determines that any person who wishes to participate in such hearing is a
part of a class of participants who share an identity of interest, the Commission may
limit such person's participation in such hearing to participation through a single
representative designated by such class (or by the Commission if such class fails to
designate such a representative). Any settlement offer which is submitted to the presiding
officer at a hearing under this subsection shall be transmitted by the officer to the
Commission for its consideration unless the settlement offer is clearly frivolous or
duplicative of offers previously made.
(g) Preliminary injunction
(1) If the Commission has initiated a proceeding under this section
for the issuance of an order under subsection (d) of this section with respect to a
product which the Commission has reason to believe presents a substantial product hazard,
the Commission (without regard to section 2076(b)(7) of this title) or
the Attorney General may, in accordance with section 2061(d)(1) of this title, apply
to a district court of the United States for the issuance of a preliminary injunction to
restrain the distribution in commerce of such product pending the completion of such
proceeding. If such a preliminary injunction has been issued, the Commission (or the
Attorney General if the preliminary injunction was issued upon an application of the
Attorney General) may apply to the issuing court for extensions of such preliminary
injunction.
(2) Any preliminary injunction, and any extension of a preliminary
injunction, issued under this subsection with respect to a product shall be in effect for
such period as the issuing court prescribes not to exceed a period which extends beyond
the thirtieth day from the date of the issuance of the preliminary injunction (or, in the
case of a preliminary injunction which has been extended, the date of its extension) or
the date of the completion or termination of the proceeding under this section respecting
such product, whichever date occurs first.
(3) The amount in controversy requirement of section 1331 of title 28 does not apply
with respect to the jurisdiction of a district court of the United States to issue or
exend (FOOTNOTE 1) a preliminary injunction under this subsection.
(FOOTNOTE 1) So in original. Probably should be "extend".
(h) Cost-benefit analysis of notification or other action not
required
Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the
Commission, in determining that a product distributed in commerce presents a substantial
product hazard and that notification or other action under this section should be taken,
to prepare a comparison of the costs that would be incurred in providing notification or
taking other action under this section with the benefits from such notification or action.
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