Held v. Ja-Ru, Inc., et al.
On December 30, 2008, citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E. and settling defendant Ja-Ru, Inc. ("Ja-Ru") entered into an out-of-court Settlement Agreement, which resolved Held's allegations that Ja-Ru sold sporting toys/children's items 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, Ja-Ru agreed not to sell any children's toys in California after May 1, 2008, unless the sporting toys/children's items contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.
The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $10,500, 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.