Held v. Reebok International Ltd.

Whistleblower Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E.’s allegations against settling party Reebok International Ltd. (“Reebok”) were resolved on December 31, 2013, when the parties entered into an out-of-court Settlement Agreement.  In this matter, Held alleged that Reebok sold softballs with vinyl/PVC covers 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 settlement, Reebok agreed not to sell any softballs in California after January 15, 2014, unless the softballs contain less than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP in any accessible component when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.  Should Reebok provide written certification that it has complied with these heightened standards by April 15, 2014, Held agreed to waive a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied. 

The Settlement Agreement requires settlement payments of $37,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to citizen enforcer Held and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.