Englander v. Blount International, Inc., et al.

In the enforcement action Englander v. Blount International, Inc., et al., whistleblower Peter Englander resolved his allegations against the defendants Blount International, Inc. and SpeeCo Inc. (collectively, “Blount”) when the parties executed a Consent Judgment on August 7, 2014.  In this case, Englander alleged that Blount sold hand tool grips and bells containing the phthalate chemical di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (“DEHP”) and heavy metal lead in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings. 

As part of the settlement, Blount agreed not to sell any hand tool grips or bells in California after the Alameda County Superior Court approves the Consent Judgment, unless the grips and bells contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP and no more than 90 parts per million of lead when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies or have Proposition 65 warnings provided.  Should Blount provide written certification by October 15, 2014 that it has eliminated the need for Proposition 65 warnings, Englander agreed to waive a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied. 

The Consent Judgment requires a total settlement payment of $40,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to citizen enforcer Englander and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.