Wozniak v. 99 Cents Only Stores, LLC

On May 21, 2015 the parties involved in the case Wozniak v. 99 Cents Only Stores, LLC executed a Consent Judgment.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Paul Wozniak alleged that 99 Cents Only Stores, LLC (“99 Cents”) sold nylon cooking utensils that contained the chemical 4,4’-Methylenedianiline (“4,4’-MDA”) in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.

As part of the agreement, 99 Cents agreed not to sell any nylon cooking utensils in California after the Alameda County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the cooking utensils contain no more than 200 parts per million of 4,4’-MDA when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies and produce a leach result of 10 ug/L or less. 

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 Wozniak and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.