Moore v. Baker & Taylor, Inc.
On June 27, 2012, the Marin County Superior Court entered a Consent Judgment in Moore v. Baker & Taylor, Inc., which resolved citizen enforcer John Moore's allegations that the defendant Baker & Taylor, Inc. ("Baker & Taylor") sold art kits with handles 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, Baker & Taylor agreed not to sell any art kits in California unless such art kits contain less than or equal to 1,000 parts per million (0.1%) of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.
The Consent Judgment requires settlement payments of $22,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Moore and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.