The U.S. Justice Division filed a civil grievance in opposition to eBay, claiming the web market unlawfully bought and distributed a whole lot of hundreds of merchandise like pesticides and motorized vehicle emission-evading gadgets that violate environmental legal guidelines.
The grievance Wednesday claims eBay bought, provided on the market or prompted the sale of greater than 343,000 aftermarket gadgets that attempt to evade motorized vehicle emissions controls.
It additionally alleges the corporate unlawfully distributed or bought at the very least 23,000 pesticides that have been unregistered, misbranded or for restricted use. The Justice Division stated that the pesticides embody a excessive toxicity insecticide banned within the U.S., a restricted use pesticide that solely licensed applicators could apply and a product falsely claiming to guard customers in opposition to the virus that causes COVID-19.
As well as, the grievance claims eBay distributed greater than 5,600 portray and coating removing merchandise that embody methylene chloride.
“eBay’s sale of emission management defeat gadgets, pesticides, and different unsafe merchandise poses unacceptable dangers to our communities disproportionately impacted by environmental and well being hazards,” U.S. Legal professional Breon Peace stated Wednesday. “Along with our companions, this workplace will vigorously implement federal legislation in opposition to these whose conduct endangers public well being and the setting.”
eBay referred to as the federal government’s actions “totally unprecedented,” and stated that it deliberate to vigorously defend itself.
“Sustaining a protected and trusted market for our international group of sellers and patrons is a basic precept of our enterprise at eBay,” the corporate stated in a ready assertion. “We dedicate vital sources, implement state-of-the-art expertise and guarantee our groups are correctly skilled to forestall prohibited gadgets from being listed on {the marketplace}.”
eBay stated that it is blocking and eradicating greater than 99.9% of the listings for the merchandise cited by the Justice Division, together with thousands and thousands of listings every year.
The Justice Division, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Safety Company, filed the grievance in opposition to eBay Inc. in federal court docket in Brooklyn.
The EPA has beforehand issued orders in opposition to eBay. In 2021 the company ordered the corporate to cease promoting 170 unregistered and misbranded pesticide merchandise.
The U.S. has focused gross sales of poisonous supplies earlier than. In 2018 the EPA introduced a $1.2 million settlement with Amazon over the sale and distribution of unlawful pesticides.
Federal regulators stated on the time that the settlement settled allegations that the Seattle e-commerce large dedicated practically 4,000 violations between 2013 and 2016 for promoting and distributing imported pesticide merchandise not licensed on the market in the US.
The EPA issued a “stop-sale” order in 2021 requiring Amazon to take down listings for dozen of merchandise the company stated posed a well being threat to folks and pets uncovered to the merchandise, The Seattle Instances reported.
The EPA additionally ordered Amazon and eBay to cease promoting quite a lot of pesticide merchandise in June 2020 that included some that falsely claimed to offer safety in opposition to the coronavirus.
