Moore v. Greenlee Textron Inc.

Whistleblower John Moore resolved his allegations against the defendant Greenlee Textron Inc. (“Greenlee”) in the enforcement action Moore v. Textron Inc.; Greenlee Textron Inc., when the parties executed a Consent Judgment on January 15, 2013.  Moore alleged that Greenlee sold hand tools with grips containing the phthalate chemical di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (“DEHP”) and di-n-butyl phthalate (“DBP”) in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings. 

As part of the settlement, Greenlee agreed not to sell any hand tools with grips in California after March 15, 2013, unless the tools contain no more than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP and DBP in any accessible component when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies or have Proposition 65 warnings provided.  Additionally, Greenlee agreed to notify its vendors of the reformulation standards by December 31, 2012, and instruct them to provide tools that comply with the reformulation standards. 

The Consent Judgment requires a total settlement payment of $68,500, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to citizen enforcer Moore and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.