The agreement was filed in federal court in
The agreements are “the first corporate criminal enforcement actions ever brought under the Consumer Product Safety Act,” according to a statement from the
The case involved more than 2 million dehumidifiers that were sold in the
According to court filings, consumers reported some 450 fires and nearly
Prosecutors contended that Gree and the subsidiaries knew that their dehumidifiers were made with parts that didn't meet safety standards and could catch fire but didn't report it to the
The company only reported problems and finally recalled the devices after “consumer complaints of fires and resulting harm continued to mount," the
The 2013 recall came nearly a year after executives first learned about the product's dangers, authorities said.
“No one should live in fear that a properly used consumer product might cause injury or death to their loved ones,” acting
The chief executive officer and chief administrative officer of
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