Held v. Zappos.com, Inc., et al.

On November 16, 2012, the Alameda County Superior Court entered a Consent Judgment in Held v. Zappos.com, Inc., et al., which resolved citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E.'s allegations that the defendant Zappos.com, Inc. ("Zappos"), sold footwear containing excessive levels of 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, Zappos agreed not to sell any footwear in California after November 16, 2012, unless the manufacturer Sensi, Inc. certifies that the footwear contains no more than 1,000 parts per million (0.1%) of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.  Due to Zappos's commitment to comply with these heightened standards, Held agreed to credit Zappos with a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied.

The Consent Judgment requires settlement payments of $20,000, 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.