Moore v. Target Corporation

On October 5, 2012, citizen enforcer John Moore and settling defendant Target Corporation ("Target"), entered into an out-of-court Settlement Agreement, which resolved Moore's allegations that Target sold footwear containing phthalate chemicals 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, Target agreed not to sell any footwear in California after October 5, 2012, unless the footwear contains less than or equal to 1,000 parts per million of DEHP and DBP when analyzed using state and federally approved testing methodologies. Should Target comply with these heightened standards by October 1, 2012, Moore agreed to waive a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied.

The Settlement Agreement requires 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 Moore and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.