Leeman v. Acme United Corporation

On December 11, 2015, citizen enforcer Whitney Leeman, Ph.D and settling party Acme United Corporation (“Acme”) entered into an out-of-court settlement agreement.  Leeman had alleged that Acme sold vinyl/PVC tool grips 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, Acme agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC tool grips in California after October 31, 2015, unless the tools contain less than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP in any when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $34,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to citizen enforcer Leeman and her counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.