Leeman v. Samovar Tea Lounge Online, LLC

On December 5, 2016, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D. and settling party Samovar Tea Lounge Online, LLC (“Samovar”) entered into an out-of-court settlement agreement.  Leeman had alleged that Samovar sold dried tea (loose leaf) containing the chemical naphthalene in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.

As part of the settlement, Samovar agreed not to sell any dried tea (loose leaf) in California after December 5, 2016, unless the tea contains no detectable amount of naphthalene when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $22,600, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to citizen enforcer Leeman and her counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.