Leeman v. Disston Company

The parties involved in the case Leeman v. Disston Company executed a Consent Judgment on March 29, 2016.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D. alleged that Disston Company (“Disston”) sold vinyl/PVC extension cords 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, Disston agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC extension cords in California after the Santa Clara County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the cords 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 Disston provide Leeman with certification by September 15, 2016 that all extension cords sold in California qualify as reformulated by the above standards, Leeman has agreed to waive a portion of the civil penalty.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $53,500, 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.