For the past couple of years, we’ve been telling you about “Company Doe,” a manufacturer of some kind who had successfully convinced a federal court to allow it to sue the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in secret, keeping its name and all relevant details of the case shielded behind black boxes of redacted text. Last month, an appeals court recognized how ridiculous this idea was and ordered that Company Doe be unmasked. And yesterday it was finally revealed to be Ergobaby, the company behind Orbit baby carriers. [More]
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Court Rules That Companies Can’t Litigate In Secret Just To Protect Reputation
By 4.16.14
Since 2012, we’ve been telling you about the mysterious case of Company Doe, a business that had sued the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission over the agency’s SaferProducts.gov database and had convinced a court to let it do so anonymously in order to protect the company’s reputation, setting a dangerous precedent that would allow manufacturers to file such lawsuits completely out of view of the public. But a federal appeals court has sided with consumer advocates and ordered that Company Doe’s identity be revealed. [More]
Court To Hear Arguments In Case That Could Allow Companies To Litigate In Secret
By 10.30.13
Companies don’t ever want the public to know they’re involved in lawsuits. This is one of the many reasons that a growing number of businesses now force consumers to agree to mandatory arbitration for resolving disputes; it keeps the fight out of the public eye and often doesn’t allow for multiple consumers to join their complaints. Tomorrow, a federal appeals court will hear arguments regarding a case that ultimately could give companies the ability to litigate cases under a veil of secrecy. [More]
Advocates Ask Court To Unmask Company Behind Anonymous Consumer Safety Lawsuit
By 12.13.12
We previously told you how a company from somewhere in the U.S. that presumably makes some sort of product had sued the Consumer Product Safety Commission without having to publicly reveal its identity or any relevant details about the case. Now, a group of consumer advocates are again asking the court to identify the plaintiff in the case. [More]
The World May Never Know Which Company Filed This Lawsuit To Block Consumer Safety Complaint
By 10.23.12 — Updated: 12.13.12
If a manufacturer has an unresolved issue with a complaint lodged with the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s saferproducts.gov database, it has the right to take the CPSC to court and prove its case. But should that same company be able to litigate the matter anonymously, keeping its name and all relevant court findings under seal? [More]
Unsafe Kitchen Appliances Account For 1 In 3 Consumer Complaints
By 3.9.12
It’s been one year since the Consumer Product Safety Commission launched its SaferProducts.gov portal for consumers to post reports of unsafe items. With thousands of complaints filed in the last 12 months, it’s already become clear that kitchen appliances dominate consumers’ safety concerns. [More]
CPSC Chair Tenenbaum: We're Not Trying To Play "Gotcha" With Manufacturers
By 8.3.11
Regular readers of Consumerist know that we cover a lot of recalls — from faulty booster seats to wine openers with potentially bloody consequences — many of them announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. We recently met with CPSC chair Inez Tenenbaum to discuss how the commission works with manufacturers on everything from the recall process to new standards on lead and drop-side cribs, and why some within the commission are attempting to scuttle its new products database. [More]
House Committee Votes To Gut Safe Products Database
By 6.23.11
The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s public database, SaferProducts.gov, which allows people to report unsafe products and search recalls and safety reports, has only been around since March. And already the House Appropriations Committee has moved to cut funding for the project. [More]
