Held v. L'Occitane, Inc.

On October 21, 2011, citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E. and settling defendant L'Occitane, Inc. ("L'Occitane"), entered into an out-of-court Settlement Agreement, which resolved Held's allegations that L'Occitane sold toiletry cases and bags 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, L'Occitane agreed not to sell any toiletry cases/bags in California after October 31, 2011, unless the toiletry cases/bags contain less than 0.1 percent (1,000 parts per million) of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies. Due to L'Occitane's commitment to comply by these heightened standards and cooperation during the settlement process, Held agreed to credit a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied.

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $41,000, 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.