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Federal Contractor Misconduct Database (FCMD)
The federal government routinely awards contracts to companies with
histories of misconduct, including
…
contract fraud and other
violations. POGO believes that providing this website will help to
improve contracting decisions and increase public knowledge of how
the government spends billions of taxpayer dollars each year.
Read more…
Failure to Immediately Report Defect in Lithium-Ion Batteries
Hewlett-Packard agreed to pay the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) a $425,000 civil penalty to resolve allegations that HP knowingly failed to timely report to CPSC that certain lithium-ion battery packs contained a defect or created an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death. The batteries at issue, used in HP, Toshiba, and Dell notebook computers, can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers. The CPSC alleged that by September 2007, HP knew of the occurrence of more than 20 such incidents, at least two of which resulted in injuries, but did not notify the CPSC until July 2008. (Federal law requires notifying the CPSC immediately – within 24 hours – after learning that a product contains a defect that poses a safety hazard.) In agreeing to the settlement, HP denied the CPSC’s allegations.
- Misconduct Type
- Consumer Affairs
- Enforcement Agency
- CPSC
- Contracting Party
- None
- Court Type
- Administrative
- Disposition
- Settlement
- Date of Settlement Announcement
- 1/23/2012