Wozniak v. Raley’s and H.E. Butt Grocery Company

The parties involved in the case Wozniak v. Raley’s and H.E. Butt Grocery Company executed a Consent Judgment on December 8, 2015.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Paul Wozniak alleged that Raley’s and H.E. Butt Grocery Company (“H.E. Butt”) sold nylon cooking utensils containing the chemical 4,4’-methylenedianiline (“4,4’-MDA”) in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.  

As part of the agreement, H.E. Butt agreed not to sell any wrist braces with nylon cooking utensils in California after the Alameda County Superior Court approves the Judgment, unless the utensils contain no more than certain low amounts of 4,4’-MDA when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $42,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Wozniak and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.