Moore v. Best Buy Co., Inc.

On March 5, 2012, citizen enforcer John Moore and settling defendant Best Buy Co., Inc. ("Best Buy") entered into an out-of-court Settlement Agreement, which resolved Moore's allegations that Best Buy sold cases for CDs/DVDs 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, Best Buy agreed not to sell any cases for CDs/DVDs in California after March 9, 2012, unless the cases contain less than 0.1 percent (1,000 parts per million) of DEHP in each component when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies. Due to Best Buy's commitment to comply with these heightened standards, Moore agreed to credit a portion of the civil penalties that would otherwise be applied.

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $44,000, 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.