Held v. Maggy London International, Ltd., et al.

On May 30, 2012, the Marin County Superior Court entered a Consent Judgment in Held v. Maggy London International Ltd., et al., which resolved citizen enforcer Anthony Held, Ph.D., P.E.'s allegations that the defendant, Maggy London International ("Maggy"), 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, Maggy agreed not to sell any belts in California after March 31, 2012, unless the belts contain less than or equal to 1,000 parts per million (0.1%) of DEHP when analyzed pursuant state and federally approved testing methodologies. Due to Maggy's commitment to comply with these heightened standards, Held agreed to credit Maggy with a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied.

The Consent Judgment requires settlement payments of $40,000, 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.