Fishing Tackle & Gear

The Chanler Group’s client, Michael DiPirro, held the fishing industry accountable for unwarned exposures to lead during the use of a wide range of fishing tackle, gear, and equipment in a series of settlements in 2001, including a multi-party opt-in settlement in the matter of DiPirro v. Western-Hoegee Company. 

Lead is a heavy metal that, at elevated levels, has been shown to negatively affect the nervous system in both adults and children, especially children’s brains.  Research has shown that repeated exposure to lead cumulatively affects the developing nervous system and, over time, can lead to attention problems, learning disabilities, short-term memory loss, behavioral problems, and diminished intellectual ability.

Mr. DiPirro uncovered numerous lead-tainted fishing products, such as sinkers, weights, anchors, jigs, lead heads, lures, hooks, bobbers, floats, spinners, leaders, swivels, and the like,which are used by children and adults.  His efforts succeeded in shifting the industry to a very stringent warning program mandating specific warnings with information as to how to avoid exposure, as well as lead reduction programs which required defendants to reduce contact with bare lead by, for example, coating, painting, or plating the bare lead before products were sold in California. Such products included bare lead split/shot, sinkers, and weights. Mr. DiPirro also eliminated bare lead spilt/shot and other bare lead terminal tackle in fishing kits marketed in California to persons who are sixteen years of age and under.

To review legal agreements which The Chanler Group’s clients have reached with companies that sell fishing tackle and gear, please see the cases below.