Wozniak v. Chapin Manufacturing, Inc.

The parties involved in the case Wozniak v. Chapin Manufacturing, Inc. executed a Consent Judgment on August 23, 2017.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Paul Wozniak alleged that Chapin Manufacturing, Inc. (“Chapin”) sold vinyl/PVC shoulder strap pads 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, Chapin agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC shoulder strap pads in California after the Alameda County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the pads contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of up to $27,000, 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.