Lisa Madigan (D)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Legal Newsline)-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan called on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Wednesday to develop a plan to curb the sale of recalled products online and in second-hand shops.
The Democratic attorney general made her appeal after an investigation found that hundreds of recalled Simplicity-brand bassinets remained for sale on craigslist.com and the Internet auction site eBay despite a recent nationwide recall, which was prompted by two children's deaths.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled Simplicity-brand bassinets on Aug. 27. The recall was expanded Sept. 11 to include Graco-brand bassinet models made by Simplicity after Madigan's office alerted federal authorities that the Graco models had the same design flaw.
"In a matter of days, my office has identified hundreds of these recalled bassinets that are still for sale online and in communities," Madigan said in a statement.
"Our investigation makes clear that the CPSC must do more to keep families safe from dangerous products. If these recalled items are still for sale on the secondary market, then what good is a recall? It's nothing more than a piece of paper if it doesn't effectively communicate with consumers and hold manufacturers accountable," she added.
Because of the federal government's "failure to keep consumers safe" Madigan said her office has begun a new program recruiting "Recall Watchdogs" to target recalled products sold online or at resale shops.
"These products don't just vanish when a recall is issued. They wind up in people's homes and communities," Madigan said. "Our goal is to raise awareness of recalled products so that we can protect families from these dangerous items."
From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.