Held v. Rich Brands, LLC

On April 15, 2011, citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E. and settling defendant Rich Brands, LLC ("Rich Brands") entered into an out-of-court Settlement Agreement, which resolved Held's allegations that Rich Brands sold bags/cases for toiletries 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, Rich Brands agreed not to sell any toiletry cases/bags in California after April 15, 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.

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $30,000, 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.