Welcome to the Alston & Bird 2015 CPSC Recall Snapshot Year in Review.

2015 saw a significant increase in activity at the CPSC. Although the number and product-type for recalls in 2015 were substantially similar to those in 2014, the amount of civil penalties increased dramatically. This is the second year in a row that the amount of civil penalties nearly doubled from the previous year. Civil penalties have increased from $6,012,500 in 2013, to $12,175,000 in 2014, and finally to a staggering $21,400,000 in 2015. And in 2015, the average civil penalty was a whopping $2.675 million. The increased monetary amount of penalties, however, only tells half the story. In addition to requiring payment of a monetary penalty, the CPSC continued its policy of requiring companies to enact extensive compliance programs that have...