Brimer v. Acme United Corporation

On February 1, 2011, citizen enforcer Russell Brimer and settling defendant Acme United Corporation ("Acme") entered into an out-of-court Settlement Agreement, which resolved Brimer's allegations that Acme sold vinyl accessory pouches containing the heavy metal lead in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.

As part of the settlement, Acme agreed not to sell any vinyl accessory pouches in California after February 28, 2011, unless each accessible component of the pouches yields less than 1 microgram of lead when analyzed using state and federally approved testing methodologies.

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $23,750, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Brimer and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.