Amazon is fighting the government’s efforts to get it to recall hazardous products
1 min read
Summary
Amazon has filed a lawsuit against the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which in 2021 ordered the company to recall thousands of hazardous items sold by third-party vendors on its marketplace, including flammable children’s pyjamas and faulty carbon monoxide detectors.
Amazon removed the products in question, but the CPSC claimed the company had “downplayed the severity of the hazard”.
In the new lawsuit, Amazon claims the CPSC lacks the authority to issue the recall order, as it classified itself as a third-party logistics provider rather than a distributor, and also accused the CPSC of having an unconstitutional structure.
Consumer Reports has responded to the lawsuit, with director of safety advocacy William Wallace saying it was “absurd” to suggest that Amazon, as an online marketplace, should be exempt from consumer safety requirements.