DOJ Files Complaint Against Stanley Black & Decker for Alleged Violations of Reporting Requirements Under the Consumer Product Safety Act

On December 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had filed a civil enforcement action (the Complaint) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (Black & Decker) for alleged violations of Section 15 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) associated with two Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalls. This is the first civil lawsuit filed for alleged Section 15 reporting violations under the current Trump administration. The Complaint alleges that Black & Decker, a Maryland Corporation, knowingly violated the CPSA by failing to immediately inform CPSC that Black & Decker had obtained information that reasonably supported the conclusion that two of its products — certain utility bars and miter saws — contained defects that could create substantial product hazards and/or created an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death. The Complaint seeks two civil penalties against Black & Decker for alleged late reporting related to the utility bars and the miter saws, as well as injunctive relief.

Complaint Summary

DeWALT Utility Bars

The Complaint alleges that, between December 2015 and March 2019, Black & Decker manufactured approximately 144,817 DeWALT utility bars for distribution. According to the Complaint, between 2016 and 2019, Black & Decker received numerous reports from multiple sources that utility bars had broken unexpectedly during use, snapping back at users and, in some cases, causing injuries, some of them severe. The Complaint alleges that the company continued to receive complaints directly from consumers and from a “National Retailer” through 2019. The Complaint also alleges that the company was aware of at least 2,500 consumer returns to the National Retailer, many of which were returned because the product had reportedly broken.

According to the government, in May 2019, Black & Decker submitted a Section 15(b) full report to CPSC only after learning that the National Retailer had notified CPSC of a reported injury related to use of the utility bar. A recall of the DeWALT utility bars was announced in September 2019. According to CPSC's September 2019 recall press release, the company had received at least 56 reports of the utility bars breaking, including four reports of injury.

DeWALT Miter Saws

The Complaint alleges that between January 2019 and January 2022, Black and Decker manufactured approximately 1.3 million DeWALT miter saws for distribution in the U.S. By 2022, Black & Decker had allegedly received hundreds of reports of the miter saws’ rear protective guards and plastic deflectors breaking during use, including several reports of laceration injuries. The Complaint also alleges high rates of returns from retailers — including the National Retailer — and that many returns to the National Retailer indicated that the saw was “damaged,” “broken,” ”defective,” or had a “ safety issue.” Per the Complaint, on February 21, 2022, Black & Decker submitted an initial Section 15(b) report to CPSC, which was reportedly followed by a full report submitted on April 29, 2022. The Complaint alleges that CPSC had not been adequately informed of the safety issue involving the miter saws before the company’s February 21, 2022 initial report. According to CPSC’s August 2022 recall press release, Black & Decker had received 571 reports that the rear safety guard assembly or components had broken or detached, including nine reports of laceration injuries.

“History of Noncompliance”

The Complaint references previous instances in which Black & Decker settled alleged late reporting allegations in 1986, 1991, 1999, 2011, and 2015. The Complaint also states that a consent decree entered into by Black & Decker to resolve the most recent of those matters required Black & Decker to maintain a compliance program and a system of internal controls meant to ensure that the company complies with CPSC’s safety statutes and regulations. The Complaint alleges that Black & Decker’s prior history and alleged violations support the government’s claim for civil penalties, as well as injunctive relief to prevent and deter future violations by the company.

Conclusion

Given the risk of substantial penalties for late reporting, it is critical that consumer product companies ensure that they understand the reporting requirements outlined in Section 15 of the CPSA. This lawsuit serves as a reminder for manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers to remain vigilant when assessing their Section 15 reporting obligations.

For questions about notification requirements under Section 15(b) of the CPSA, CPSC, and DOJ enforcement practices, or other product safety matters, please reach out to the authors of this post, who are part of Arnold & Porter’s leading Consumer Product Safety team.

© Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP 2025 All Rights Reserved. This Blog post is intended to be a general summary of the law and does not constitute legal advice. You should consult with counsel to determine applicable legal requirements in a specific fact situation.