Englander v. ASA Electronics LLC

The parties involved in the case Englander v. ASA Electronics LLC executed a Consent Judgment on May 22, 2017.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Peter Englander alleged that ASA Electronics LLC (“ASA”) sold headphones with vinyl/PVC headbands and ear cushions 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 agreement, ASA agreed not to sell any headphones with vinyl/PVC headbands and ear cushions in California beginning 30 days after the San Francisco County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the headphones contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies OR have Proposition 65 warnings provided.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of up to $34,100, 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.