Leeman v. KKU Incorporated

Posted: 12/03/2014  browse the case archive

The parties involved in the case Leeman v. KKU Incorporated executed a Consent Judgment on December 3, 2014.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Dr. Whitney R. Leeman alleged that KKU Incorporated (“KKU”) sold shop seats with vinyl/PVC upholstery 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, KKU agreed not to sell any shop seats with vinyl/PVC upholstery in California after the Alameda County Superior Court approves the Consent Judgment, unless the seat upholstery contains no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.  Should KKU provide written certification that all shop seats sold in California qualify as reformulated by April 1, 2015, Leeman agreed to waive a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $54,000, 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.   

Download PDF

It appears your Web browser is not configured to display PDF files. No worries, just click here to download the PDF file.