T.J. Maxx has agreed to pay a $13 million fine for selling a number of recalled products, including Fisher-Price's Rock ’n Play Sleepers, an item linked to at least 30 infant deaths since 2009.
The agreement settles charges that from March 2014 to October 2019, T.J. Maxx knowingly sold, offered and distributed products that were part of 21 different recalls.
While the U.S. government says the Rock ’n Play Sleepers were linked to 30 deaths, a congressional report last year found that more than 50 infants died using the product before it was recalled in 2019.
The report accused Fisher-Price of keeping the sleeper on the market for a decade as it earned $200 million in revenue from it, despite the company's knowledge of safety concerns and infant deaths linked to the product.
T.J. Maxx is also accused of selling a since-recalled Kids II Rocking Sleeper that has been linked to at least five infant deaths.
In a statement to NBC News, TJX Companies said:
“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. 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.”
TJX Companies owns T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, among several other discount retail brands.
The settlement announced Tuesday does not constitute an admission by T.J. Maxx that it knowingly violated the federal Consumer Product Safety Act. Still, the company has agreed to maintain a compliance program and a system of internal controls to ensure it complies with the act.
