Vinocur Settles With Poetry Corporation Re: Belts

Laurence Vinocur has successfully negotiated a settlement with Poetry Corporation for alleged violations of Proposition 65.  Vinocur alleged that Poetry sold belts that contained the phthalate chemical DEHP without the requisite health hazard warning.  DEHP is a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects and/or other reproductive harm.

As part of the settlement agreement, Poetry has agreed to sell only belts reformulated to be virtually free of DEHP after March 30, 2016 or provide consumers with a Proposition 65 warning.  Should Poetry accelerate reformulation and provide Vinocur with certification by March 15 that all belts sold in California qualify as reformulated, Vinocur has agreed to waive a portion of the civil penalties.

For more details and to read the settlement itself, please see the case summary on our website: Vinocur v. Poetry Corporation

The Chanler Group represents citizen enforcers who, acting in the public interest, commence actions against businesses offering products for sale in California that contain chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm without first providing the health hazard warning required by Proposition 65. Citizen enforcers bringing Proposition 65 actions in the public interest may obtain a Court Judgment imposing civil penalties, an injunction requiring reformulation of products, and/or provision of health hazard warnings