Held v. Cost Plus, Inc.; Mr. Bar-B-Q, Inc.; et al.

On December 6, 2012, the Santa Clara County Superior Court entered a Consent Judgment in Held v. Cost Plus, Inc.; Mr. Bar-B-Q, Inc.; et al., which resolved citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E.'s allegations that the defendant Mr. Bar-B-Q ("Mr. BBQ") sold gauges with brass components containing the heavy metal lead in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.

As part of the settlement, Mr. BBQ shall not sell any gauges with brass components in California after September 15, 2012, unless the gauges comply with the reformulation standards pursuant to Section 2.1 of the Consent Judgment or are sold with Proposition 65 warnings pursuant to Section 2.2 of the Consent Judgment.

The Consent Judgment requires settlement payments of $26,500, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Held and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.