Englander v. Gleason Corporation

The Settlement Agreement between citizen enforcer Peter Englander and settling party Gleason Corporation (“Gleason”) was executed on June 20, 2013.  This agreement resolved Englander’s allegations that Gleason sold vinyl/PVC hand truck grips containing the phthalate chemical di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (“DEHP”) in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.

As part of the settlement, Gleason agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC hand truck grips in California after August 31, 2013, unless the grips contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.  Should Gleason provide written certification that all hand truck grips have been reformulated by December 1, 2013, and continuing into the future, Englander agreed to waive a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied. 

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $30,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Englander and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.