Leeman v. Newegg Inc., et al.

The parties involved in the case Leeman v. Newegg Inc., et al. executed a Consent Judgment on January 25, 2017.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Whitney R. Leeman, Ph.D. alleged that Newegg Inc., Magnell Associate, Inc. and Rosewill Inc. (“Defendants”) sold audio headsets with vinyl/PVC cords and backpacks with vinyl/PVC handles 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, Defendants agreed not to sell any audio headsets with vinyl/PVC cords or backpacks with vinyl/PVC handles in California 90 days after the San Francisco County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the products contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $63,000, 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.