U.S. Files Complaint Against Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. Alleging Delay in Reporting Hazardous Utility Bars and Miter Saws

Baltimore, Maryland – The Justice Department, together with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), announced today, they filed a civil enforcement action against Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (Black & Decker) for alleged violations of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the complaint with Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, Department of Justice, Civil Division, and Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman, CPSC.

Black & Decker is a global provider of hand tools, power tools, outdoor products and related

accessories. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, alleges that Black & Decker knowingly failed to immediately report to CPSC information about potential hazardous defects or unreasonable safety risks associated with some of its utility bars and miter saws.

The complaint alleges soon after Black & Decker began manufacturing the utility bars in December 2015, it began receiving numerous reports directly from consumers and through a national retailer. Customers stated that bars broke unexpectedly during use, snapping back at the users, and in some cases, causing serious injuries. Despite notice of these incidents, Black & Decker failed to report this information to CPSC until May 2019. Utility bars are multi-functional tools used for ripping, prying and wrecking.

Additionally, the complaint alleges, between 2019 and 2022, Black & Decker received hundreds of reports of its miter saws’ rear protective guards and plastic deflectors breaking, including reports of injuries such as lacerations to consumers’ faces and fingers. Despite notice of these incidents, Black & Decker failed to report this information to CPSC until June 2022. Miter saws are power tools designed to cut various materials.

The complaint, filed by the Justice Department, seeks monetary civil penalties and injunctive relief to prohibit the company from engaging in future violations of the CPSA.

The CPSA requires manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of consumer products to report “immediately” to CPSC information that reasonably supports the conclusion that a product contains a defect which could create a substantial product hazard or that it creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death. Black & Decker previously resolved other government allegations of failure to timely report to CPSC, including through a stipulated order entered by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in 2015.

“Companies must not put consumers in harm’s way by failing to immediately report a defective product to the proper authorities,” Hayes said. “We’re committed to holding accountable those who fail to properly comply with safety laws that ultimately protect consumers.”

“The Justice Department, together with CPSC, is committed to enforcing consumer protection statutes protecting Americans from hazardous products,” Shumate said. “Companies must report safety issues in consumer products immediately, as the law requires, to prevent unnecessary injury or death.”

“This coordinated federal action will protect consumers,” Feldman said. “We will not hesitate to use the full weight of our authorities, especially when dealing with repeat offenders.”

U.S. Attorney Hayes thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Koch along with Assistant Director Zachary Dietert, Senior Trial Attorney Joshua Fowkes, and Trial Attorneys Paulina Stamatelos and Nicole Frazer, DOJ Enforcement Section of the Civil Division’s Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch, who are handling this matter in coordination with CPSC staff.   

The claims made in a complaint are allegations that, if the case were to proceed to trial, the government must prove by a preponderance of the evidence.

For more information about the Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit https://www.justice.gov/civil/enforcement-affirmative-litigation-branch.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md  and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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