Vinocur v. Merchsource, LLC

On January 18, 2019, citizen enforcer Laurence Vinocur and settling party Merchsource, LLC (“Merchsource”) entered into an out-of-court settlement agreement. Vinocur had alleged that Merchsource sold recipe glasses with exterior designs containing the heavy metal lead in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings. 

 

As part of the settlement, Merchsource agreed not to sell any recipe glasses with exterior designs in California after January 18, 2019, unless the designs are virtually lead free when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies OR have Proposition 65 warnings provided.

 

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $23,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to citizen enforcer Vinocur and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.