Held v. DeLorme Publishing Company; Rodco Enterprises; et al.

On September 19, 2012, the Marin County Superior Court entered a Consent Judgment in Held v. DeLorme Publishing Company, Inc., et al., which resolved citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E.'s allegations that the defendants Rodco Enterprises and DeLorme Publishing Company ("Rodco and DeLorme") sold pouches 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, Rodco and DeLorme agreed not to sell any pouches in California after July 12, 2012, unless the pouches contain no more than 1,000 parts per million (0.1%) of DEHP when analyzed using state and federally approved testing methodologies. Due to Rodco and DeLorme's commitment to comply with these heightened standards, Held agreed to credit Rodco and DeLorme with a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied.

The Consent Judgment requires settlement payments of $27,000, 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.