Leeman v. Paradies Gifts, Inc., et al.

The parties involved in the case Leeman v. Paradies Gifts, Inc., et al. executed a Consent Judgment on May 16, 2016.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D. alleged that Paradies Gifts, Inc. and Paradies & Company LLC (“Settling Defendants”) sold vinyl/PVC ponchos 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, Settling Defendants agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC ponchos in California after the Marin County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the ponchos 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.  Should Settling Defendants provide Leeman with certification by March 15, 2017 that all vinyl/PVC ponchos sold in California qualify as reformulated by the above standards, Leeman has agreed to waive a portion of the civil penalty that would otherwise be applied.

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 Leeman and her counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.