Leeman v. LFS, Inc.

The parties involved in the case Leeman v. LFS, Inc. executed a Consent Judgment on May 31, 2016.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D.,  alleged that LFS, Inc. (“LFS”) sold vinyl/PVC gloves 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, LFS agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC gloves in California after the Marin County Superior Court enters the Judgment, unless the gloves 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.  Should LFS provide Leeman with certification by September 1, 2016 that all vinyl/PVC gloves sold in California qualify as reformulated by the above standards, Leeman has agreed to waive a portion of the civil penalty that would otherwise be applied.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $59,000, 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.