Leeman v. Nugget Market, Inc., et al.

The San Francisco County Superior Court entered a Consent Judgment in Leeman v. Nugget Market, Inc., et al., on July 25, 2007. In this enforcement action, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D. alleged that defendants Nugget Market, Inc. and Stille Company (collectively "Nugget") sold glass soda bottles, oil bottles and other glassware and mugs and other ceramicware with colored artwork containing the heavy metal lead on their exterior in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.

As part of the settlement, Nugget agreed not to sell any glassware or ceramicware in California after March 14, 2007, unless the glassware and ceramicware have Proposition 65 warnings provided or comply with the reformulation standards when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Consent Judgment requires settlement payments of $26,000, to be 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.