Fines Collected

The Chanler Group: Caseload by Industry in 2012

The Chanler Group’s caseload from 2012 encapsulated a wide range of products from twelve different industries.  All of the products in the caseload were offered for sale in California and did not include warnings that they contained elevated levels of phthalates, lead, cadmium, or other chemicals known to the State to cause cancer and/or reproductive harm.

To maximize the safety of consumers, the clients of The Chanler Group most vigorously pursued cases involving apparel and fashion accessories for children and adults; such cases composed almost a third of The Chanler Group’s total caseload.  Fashion accessories such as jewelry or watches may be worn on a daily basis, increasing the risk of consumer exposure.  Products marketed to children are equally important to The Chanler Group’s clients, as children’s developing bodies make them especially vulnerable to chemical exposure.     

The second most popular industry is comprised of furniture, home decorative, and household products, which accounts for 18% of the caseload.  This industry consists of widely-used products such as chairs, books, and lamps, which have the potential to expose everyone in the house.  Products that fall into the hardware, woodworking power, machine & hand tools industry and computer & electronics industry, which account for 9% and 8% of the total caseload, respectively, are also heavily regulated by The Chanler Group’s clients.

To read more about each industry and the enforcement actions taken by The Chanler Group’s clients, please click here.

Civil Penalties Assessed in 2012 (Totaling over 4 Million Dollars)

This graph reflects the civil penalties and penalty credits The Chanler Group collected on behalf of its clients in 2012. 

In 2012, The Chanler Group totaled $2 million in initial civil penalties, and only slightly less than that in potential penalty credits.  Penalties are frequently credited if the company or companies can certify that they have reformulated their products to essentially eliminate the chemical in question.   Because Proposition 65 mandates posting health hazard warnings and only requires reformulation in very specific cases, The Chanler Group clients have chosen to incentivize reformulation to promote consumer safety.

Seventy-five percent of the collected penalties go to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, the agency responsible for implementing Proposition 65 and for updating and maintaining the list of 800+ designated chemicals that are known to the State of California to cause cancer and/or reproductive harm.  The remaining 25% goes to The Chanler Group’s clients in recognition of their efforts to protect the health and safety of Californians.

Prop. 65 Civil Penalties: The Chanler Group and Other Enforcers in 2012

This graph compares the civil penalties collected by The Chanler Group’s clients to other private and public enforcers and the Office of the Attorney General in 2012.  The total for The Chanler Group includes penalties that were waived by The Chanler Group upon proof of product reformulation.  The information was obtained in part from the Proposition 65 Settlement Summary report, which is published by the Office of the Attorney General.  That report may be accessed here: http://oag.ca.gov/prop65.  

Civil Penalties Collected by TCG Clients 2002 – 2012

This graph depicts the civil penalties collected by The Chanler Group’s clients between 2002 and 2012. The 2002 -2011 numbers reflect a credit given to The Chanler Group for penalties recovered by the California Attorney General’s office in cases that were initiated by The Chanler Group clients between 2002 and 2011. The 2012 numbers include credits, second and final penalties, and cy pres payments made by the settling defendants in that year. 

Civil Penalties Collected by TCG Clients 2001 – 2012

This graph depicts the civil penalties collected by The Chanler Group’s clients between 2001 and 2012 as compared to the civil penalties collected by other private Proposition 65 enforcers during the same time. It reflects a credit given to The Chanler Group for penalties recovered by the California Attorney General’s office in cases that were initiated by The Chanler Group clients.  The 2012 numbers include credits, second and final penalties, and cy pres payments made by the settling defendants in that year.

Civil Penalties Collected by TCG Clients 2000 – 2012

This graph depicts the civil penalties collected by The Chanler Group’s clients between 2000 and 2012 as compared to the civil penalties collected by other private and public Proposition 65 enforcers during the same time. It reflects a credit given to The Chanler Group for penalties recovered by the California Attorney General’s office in cases that were initiated by The Chanler Group clients.   The 2012 numbers include credits, second and final penalties, and cy pres payments made by the settling defendants in that year.