Laptop computers are a ubiquitous presence in New York households. We use them at work, home, and in the classroom. We may never pause to consider the potential for injury that may lie within them due to a manufacturer's defect. Lithium-ion battery packs are a popular choice for many laptop manufacturers because they are efficient. But if overheated, they can catch fire. Safety measures are put in place to prevent this from happening.

But according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), computer giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) knowingly manufactured and sold a number of defective lithium-ion battery packs in its computers and other products. Under federal law, HP was required to notify the CPSC within 24 hours when it became aware that its batteries were defective or posed an "unreasonable risk of serious injury or death."

According to the CPSC, HP had conducted a study on the batteries in early 2007. And as early as September 2007, HP was aware that the lithium-ion batteries were defective and had injured users, sending at least one to the hospital for treatment. But HP failed to report these findings to the CPSC until July 25, 2008, at which time HP knew of even more battery accidents. In October 2008, HP recalled 32,000 of the batteries.

Late last month, the CPSC accepted a settlement from HP, which requires the manufacturer to pay a $425,000 penalty. As a part of the settlement, HP denied that its batteries posed an "unreasonable risk of serious injury or death," or that it failed to meet the timely reporting standards imposed by the CPSC.

Source: The Sacramento Bee, "Hewlett-Packard Agrees to $425,000 Civil Penalty for Failure to Immediately Report Lithium-Ion Battery Packs," Jan. 23, 2012.