Brimer v. Sakar International, Inc.

The parties in the case Brimer v. Sakar International, Inc., et al. executed a Consent Judgment on January 9, 2013, which resolved citizen enforcer Russell Brimer’s allegations that the defendant Sakar International, Inc. (“Sakar”) sold flashlights containing the heavy metal lead in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings. 

As part of the settlement, Sakar agreed not to sell any flashlights in California after December 31, 2012, unless the flashlights contain less than 90 parts per million of lead in paint and surface coatings and 100 parts per million of lead in substrates when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.  Should Sakar meet these heightened standards by December 31, 2012, and continuing into the future, Brimer agreed to waive a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied.

The Consent Judgment requires settlement payments of $33,000, 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.