Held v. Sunbelt U.S.A., Inc.

The parties involved in the case Held v. Sunbelt U.S.A., Inc. executed a Consent Judgment on December 8, 2015.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D, P.E. alleged that Sunbelt U.S.A., Inc. (“Sunbelt”) sold vinyl/PVC eyewear cases 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 agreement, Sunbelt agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC eyewear cases in California after the Alameda County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the cases contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP in any accessible component when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.  Held has agreed to waive a portion of the civil penalty should Sunbelt provide Held with certification that all vinyl/PVC eyewear cases sold in California qualify as reformulated by March 1, 2016.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $25,000, 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.