Leeman v. Chums, Inc.

The parties involved in the case Leeman v. Chums, Inc. executed a Consent Judgment on June 20, 2016.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D. alleged that Chums, Inc. (“Chums”) sold vinyl/PVC zipper pulls for eyewear cases 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, Chums agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC zipper pulls for eyewear cases in California after June 20, 2016, unless the zipper pulls contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $27,000, 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.