Vinocur v. Poetry Corporation

The parties involved in the case Vinocur v. Poetry Corporation executed a Consent Judgment on February 25, 2016.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Laurence Vinocur alleged that Poetry Corporation (“Poetry”) 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, Poetry agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC belts in California after March 30, 2016, unless the belts contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies or have Proposition 65 warnings provided.  Vinocur has agreed to waive a portion of the civil penalty should Poetry provide Vinocur with certification that all vinyl/PVC belts sold in California qualify as reformulated by March 15, 2016.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $32,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Vinocur and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.