Leeman v. Sur La Table, Inc., et al.

The San Francisco Superior Court of California entered a Consent Judgment on August 31, 2004 in Leeman v. Arc International, et al., which resolved citizen enforcer Dr. Whitney R. Leeman's allegations that defendant Sur La Table, Inc. sold glassware and other tableware with colored artwork or designs (containing cadmium) on the exterior, in addition to mugs and other tableware with colored artwork or designs (containing lead) on the exterior in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.

As part of the settlement, Sur La Table agreed not to sell any such products in California after June 15, 2004, unless such products bear Proposition 65 warnings provided in the agreement or are exempt from the health hazard warnings due to reformulation in accordance with the standards set forth in Section 2.4 of the Consent Judgment.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $18,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which were 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.