TJ Maxx Fined $13M for Selling Recalled Items

From March 2014 to October 2019, TJ Maxx and its sister stores sold products that were included in 21 different recalls, including some of the baby products that have been linked to infant deaths—and their parent company will pay $13 million for doing so. TJX Companies agreed to the fine to settle the charges that it continued to sell items including the Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play after they were recalled, NBC News reports. The settlement does not include an admission from the discount retailer that it knowingly violated the federal Consumer Product Safety Act, however, it has agreed to put systems in place to ensure it is in compliance with the act moving forward.

"We deeply regret that in some instances between 2014 and 2019, recalled products were not properly removed from our sales floors despite the recall processes that we had in place," says TJX Companies, which owns TJ Maxx as well as Marshalls, HomeGoods, and other discount retail chains. "We have made a significant investment in people, processes, and technology to strengthen our processes, and have cooperated fully with the Consumer Product Safety Commission." Approximately 1,200 recalled products were sold in that time frame, the majority of them baby products linked to a risk of suffocation and death, Boston.com reports. (More product recall stories.)