Held v. Normark Corporation

On July 10, 2015, the parties involved in the case Held v. Normark Corporation executed a Consent Judgment.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E. alleged that Normark Corporation (“Normark”) sold fishing tools with vinyl/PVC grips 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, Normark agreed not to sell any fishing tools with vinyl/PVC grips in California after February 1, 2016, unless the tools contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.  Should Normark provide written certification that all fishing tools with vinyl/PVC grips sold in California qualify as reformulated by January 15, 2016, Held agreed to waive a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $47,500, 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.