Leeman v. Stillwater Designs and Audio, Inc.

The parties involved in the case Leeman v. Stillwater Designs and Audio, Inc. executed a Consent Decree on April 20, 2015.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D. alleged that Stillwater Designs and Audio, Inc. (“Stillwater”) sold vinyl/PVC keychains 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, Stillwater agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC keychains in California after April 20, 2015, unless the keychains contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP in any accessible component when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies or have Proposition 65 warnings provided pursuant to section 2.2 of the agreement.  Should Stillwater provide written certification that all vinyl/PVC keychains sold in California qualify as reformulated by September 1, 2015, Leeman agreed to waive a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $41,000, 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.