Leeman v. Bee International, Inc., et al.

The enforcement action Leeman v. Bee International, Inc., et al. was resolved on January 16, 2007, when the Honorable Peter J. Busch entered a Consent Judgment. In this matter, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D. alleged defendant Bee International, Inc. ("Bee") sold mugs and other ceramic containers with colored artwork on the exterior containing the heavy metal lead and/or cadmium in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.

As part of the settlement, Bee agreed not to sell any mugs or other ceramic containers in California after November 27, 2006, unless the ceramicware has Proposition 65 warnings provided or contains no more than .06 percent of lead by weight and .48 percent of cadmium by weight when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies. Bee commits to make reasonable efforts to ensure that all ceramicware sold in California by December 31, 2007, shall qualify as reformulated.

The Consent Judgment requires settlement payments of $208,000, to be 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.