Held v. Spill Stop Mfg., L.L.C.

The parties involved in the case Held v. Spill Stop Mfg., L.L.C., et al. executed a Consent Judgment on August 1, 2014.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Anthony Held, Ph.D., P.E., alleged that Spill Stop Mfg., L.L.C. (“Spill Stop”) sold bottle openers with vinyl/PVC grips containing the phthalate chemical di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings. 

As part of the agreement, Spill Stop agreed not to sell any bottle openers or shakers with vinyl/PVC grips in California after the Alameda County Superior Court approves the Consent Judgment, unless the products contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies or have Proposition 65 warnings provided.  Should Spill Stop provide written certification that all bottle openers and shakers sold in California qualify as reformulated, Held agreed to waive a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $15,000, 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.