Leeman v. A & D Engineering, Inc.

The parties involved in the case Leeman v. A & D Engineering, Inc. executed a Consent Judgment on July 20, 2017.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D. alleged that A & D Engineering, Inc. (“A & D”) sold stethoscopes with vinyl/PVC tubing 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, A & D agreed not to sell any stethoscopes with vinyl/PVC tubing in California after the Santa Clara County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the products contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies or have Proposition 65 warnings provided.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of up to $22,000, 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.