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.