Brimer v. Olympia Tools International, Inc.

On January 18, 2011, citizen enforcer Russell Brimer and settling defendant Olympia Tools International, Inc. ("Olympia") entered into an out-of-court Settlement Agreement, which resolved Brimer's allegations that Olympia sold tape measures with hand straps containing the heavy metal lead in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.

As part of the settlement, Olympia agreed not to sell any tape measures with hand straps in California, unless the tape measures contain no more than 100 parts per million of lead when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $27,500, 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.