Two Recalls Later, Baby Float Maker Settles Alleged Reporting Violations for $650K

Eleven years after its first recall, Aqua-Leisure Industries Inc., of Avon, Mass., has agreed to a $650,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that it knowingly violated reporting obligations related to defective inflatable baby floats.

The leg holes in the seat of the float can tear, causing children to unexpectedly fall into or under the water, posing a drowning risk, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in an Oct. 17 Federal Register notice (77 Fed. Reg. 63801) announcing the settlement.

Twelve complaints prompted the company’s first recall in 2001 impacting 90,000 products (29 PSLR 1098, 12/3/01). A second recall ...