Leeman v. Kristus, Inc. DBA Air Power America

The parties involved in the case Leeman v. Lowe's Companies Inc., et al. executed a Consent Judgment on August 11, 2016.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D., alleged that Kristus, Inc. DBA Air Power America (“Kristus”) sold vinyl/PVC oil suction hoses 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, Kristus agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC oil suction hoses in California after the Marin County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the hoses 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 up to $31,500, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Wozniak and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.