US government sues arts and crafts retailer over vases that shattered in customers' hands

The US government has sued arts and crafts retailer Michaels Stores, accusing the company of failing to report a serious safety hazard that caused imported glass vases it sold, and which were later recalled, to shatter in customers' hands.

In a complaint filed on Tuesday in the Dallas federal court, the government said the walls of the 50cm vases were too thin to withstand normal handling, causing injuries such as lacerations, nerve damage and severed tendons that often required stitches or surgery.

The government said Michaels knew of the danger as early as September 2008 but did not alert the Consumer Product Safety Commission until February 2010, and in doing so falsely conveyed that another company had imported the vases, which were made in China.

It said this allowed Michaels to avoid legal responsibility for a recall, which occurred in September 2010 and covered about 212,000 vases sold in the United States and Canada. The retailer sold the vases from 2006 to 2010, the government said.

"We believe that Michaels chose to profit from selling defective vases that put people at risk," CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye said in a statement. "To protect the public, companies are required to report potential product hazards and risks to CPSC on a timely basis. That means within 24 hours, not more than a year as in Michaels' case."

The lawsuit seeks civil penalties and injunctive relief, including more timely reporting of potential product defects.