Leeman v. Almar Sales Co., Inc.

The parties involved in the case Leeman v. Almar Sales Co., Inc. executed a Consent Judgment on March 7 2017.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D. alleged that Almar Sales Co,, Inc. (“Almar”) sold vinyl/PVC charms 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, Almar agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC charms in California after the Marin County Superior Court enters the Judgment, unless the charms contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP in any accessible part when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of up to $32,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Leeman and her counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.