Held v. Andrews Sport Club, Inc.

On December 14, 2012, citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E., and settling defendant Andrews Sport Club, Inc. ("Andrews") entered into a Settlement Agreement, which resolved Held's allegations that Andrews sold belts 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, Andrews agreed not to sell any belts in California after December 15, 2013, unless the belts contain less than 1,000 parts per million (0.1%) of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $15,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Held and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.