Moore v. Wright & McGill Co.

The parties involved in the case Moore v. Wright & McGill, Inc. executed a Consent Judgment on December 21, 2015.  In this matter, citizen enforcer John Moore alleged that Wright & McGill, Inc. (collectively, “Wright & McGill”) sold knives with vinyl/PVC grips 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, Wright & McGill agreed not to sell any knives with vinyl/PVC grips in California after the Marin County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the grips 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.  Moore has agreed to waive a portion of the civil penalty should Wright & McGill provide Moore with certification that all knives with vinyl/PVC grips sold in California qualify as reformulated by May 15, 2016.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $39,500, 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.