Moore v. Dezine News, Inc.

On September 25, 2015, the parties involved in the case Moore v. Dezine News, Inc. executed a Consent Judgment.  In this matter, citizen enforcer John Moore alleged that Dezine News, Inc. (“Dezine”) sold vinyl/PVC belts 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, Dezine agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC belts in California after the Alameda County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the belts contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP, di-n-butyl phthalate (“DBP”), butyl benzyl phthalate (“BBP”), diisodecyl phthalate (“DIDP”), di-n-hexyl phthalate (“DnHP”), and diisononyl phthalate (“DINP”) when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $76,900, 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.