Held v. Woodstock International, Inc.

On March 23, 2018, citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E. and settling party Woodstock International, Inc. (“Woodstock”) entered into an out-of-court settlement agreement. Held had alleged that Woodstock sold quick couplers containing the heavy metal lead in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.

As part of the settlement, Woodstock agreed not to sell any quick couplers in California after March 30, 2018, unless the couplers are virtually free of lead when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies or have Proposition 65 warnings provided.

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $17,500, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to citizen enforcer Held and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.