Englander v. GF Health Products, Inc.

Whistleblower Peter Englander’s allegations against the defendant GF Health Products, Inc. (“GF”) were resolved in the enforcement action Englander v. GF Health Products, Inc.  The parties executed a Consent Judgment on February 18, 2014, which decided Englander’s assertions that GF sold blood pressure kits, vinyl/PVC bags, and stethoscopes 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 settlement, GF agreed not to sell any of the covered products in California after the Santa Clara County Superior Court approves the Consent Judgment, unless the products contain less than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP in any accessible component when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.  Should GF provide written certification that the products are reformulated by May 15, 2014, Englander agreed to credit a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied. 

The Consent Judgment requires settlement payments of $115,500, 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.