Leeman v. Partrade Trading Company, LLC

The parties involved in the enforcement action Leeman v. Partrade Trading Company, LLC executed an agreement on April 9, 2014.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D., alleged that the defendant Partrade Trading Company, LLC (“Partrade”) sold hand tools with vinyl/PVC grips 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 settlement, Partrade agreed not to sell the hand tools with vinyl/PVC grips specifically identified in the Consent Judgment after the Marin County Superior Court approves the Consent Judgment, unless the tools contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methods or Proposition 65 warnings are provided.  Should Partrade provide written certification that all tools sold directly in California by Partrade qualify as reformulated by September 1, 2014, Leeman agreed to waive a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied. 

The Consent Judgment requires a total settlement payment of $46,000, 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.