60 Day Notice 2014-01364

Withdraw Notice Add a Complaint Add a Settlement Add a Judgment

AG Number: 
2014-01364
Notice PDF: 
PDF icon 2014-01364.pdf
Date Filed: 
12/22/2014
Noticing Party: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc.
Alleged Violators: 
Global Juices and Fruits, LLC dba Ruth's Foods
Chemicals: 
Lead and lead compounds
Source: 
Dietary supplements

60-Day Notice Document

Corrected Complaint
AG Number:
2014-01364
Complaint PDF: 
PDF icon 2014-01364C3950.pdf
Date Filed:
09/04/2015
Case Name: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc. v Global Juices, et al
Court Name: 
Alameda County Superior Court
Court Docket Number: 
RG15767734
Plaintiff: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc.
Plaintiff Attorney: 
Anne Barker
Michael Freund
Ryan Hoffman
Defendant: 
Global Juices and Fruits, LLC
Type of Claim: 
Failure to Warn
Relief Sought: 
Warning
Civil Penalty
Contact Name: 
Anne Barker
Contact Organization: 
Environmental Research Center
Email Address:
abarker.erc@gmail.com
Address: 
3111 Camino Del Rio North, Ste. 400
City, State, Zip:
San Diego, CA 92108
Phone Number:
619-500-3090
Fax Number:
706-858-0326
Civil Complaint
AG Number:
2014-01364
Complaint PDF: 
PDF icon 2014-01364C3749.pdf
Date Filed:
04/21/2015
Case Name: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc v. Global Juices & Fruits
Court Name: 
Alameda County Superior Court
Court Docket Number: 
RG15767734
Plaintiff: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc.
Plaintiff Attorney: 
Anne Barker
Michael Freund
Ryan Hoffman
Defendant: 
Global Juices and Fruits, LLC
Type of Claim: 
Failure to Warn
Relief Sought: 
Warning
Civil Penalty
Contact Name: 
Anne Barker
Contact Organization: 
Environmental Research Center
Email Address:
abarker.erc@gmail.com
Address: 
3111 Camino Del Rio North, Suite 400
City, State, Zip:
San Diego, CA 92108
Phone Number:
619-500-3090
Fax Number:
706-858-0326
Settlement
AG Number:
2014-01364
Settlement PDF: 
PDF icon 2014-01364S5521.pdf
Settlement Date:
01/27/2017
Case Name: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc. v. Global Juices
Court Name: 
Alameda County Superior Court
Court Docket Number: 
RG15767734
Plaintiff: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc.
Plaintiff Attorney: 
Anne Barker
Ryan Hoffman
Michael Freund
Defendant: 
Global Juices and Fruits, LLC dba Ruth's Food
Injunctive Relief: 
Beginning on effective date (date of entry of judgment by Court) Global Juices reinstates its manufacture of any covered product identified in the consent judgment ("covered product") for sale in California, distributes or directly sells in California, any covered product which exposes a person to a "daily lead exposure" of more than 0.5 micrograms a day, it must meet the warning requirements under Section 3.2 of this Consent Judgment.
*Non-Contingent Civil Penalty:
$ 14,598.00
Attorney(s) Fees and Costs:
$ 46,954.00
Payment in Lieu of Penalty:
$ 10,948.00  ((Amounts are rounded. Actual amounts: Attorney fees & costs: $46,953.50, civil penalty: $14,598.00, and additional settlement payment (ASP): $10,948.50. ASP shall be distributed pursuant to California Code of Regulations, title 11, sections 3203, subdivision (d) and 3204. ERC will utilize the ASP for activities detailed below that support ERC’s overarching goal of reducing and/or eliminating hazardous and toxic chemicals in dietary supplement products in California. ERC’s activities have had, and will continue to have, a direct and primary effect within the State of California because California consumers will be benefitted by the reduction and/or elimination of exposure to lead and/or cadmium in dietary supplements and/or by providing clear and reasonable warnings to California consumers prior to ingestion of the products. Based on a review of past years’ actual budgets, ERC is providing the following list of activities ERC engages in to protect California consumers through Proposition 65 citizen enforcement, along with a breakdown of how ASP funds will be utilized to facilitate those activities: (1) ENFORCEMENT (55-­70%): obtaining, shipping, analyzing, and testing dietary supplement products that may contain lead and/or cadmium and are sold to California consumers; continued monitoring and enforcement of past consent judgments and settlements to ensure companies are in compliance with their obligations thereunder, with a specific focus on those judgments and settlements concerning lead and/or cadmium (which necessarily includes additional work purchasing, processing, analyzing and testing consumer products; litigating matters that result in defaults, bankruptcies, or dismissals; (2) VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE PROGRAM (10-­20%): maintaining ERC’s Voluntary Compliance Program by acquiring products from companies, developing and maintaining a case file, testing products from these companies, providing the test results and supporting documentation to the companies, and offering guidance in implementing a self­testing program for lead and/or cadmium in dietary supplement products; (3) “GOT LEAD” PROGRAM (up to 5%): maintaining ERC’s “Got Lead?” Program which reduces the numbers of contaminated products that reach California consumers by providing access to free testing for lead in dietary supplement products (Products submitted to the program are screened for ingredients which are suspected to be contaminated, and then may be purchased by ERC, catalogued, sent to a qualified laboratory for testing, and the results shared with the consumer that submitted the product) (4) DONATION: from this settlement, a donation of $223.00 to As You Sow will be provided to address reducing toxic chemical exposures in California and following up with the recipient to ensure the funds are utilized in a manner that is consistent with ERC’s mission and stated purpose of the Donation; (5) PUBLIC OUTREACH (up to 5%): public outreach programs including maintaining ERC’s blog, website, and social media accounts; (6) SPECIAL PROJECTS (10­20%): projects including obtaining expert and legal opinions not specific to any one case that are necessary to the continued private enforcement of Proposition 65 (7) SCHOLARSHIPS (up to 5%): scholarships for college students in California who have been or are currently diagnosed with cancer or who are pursuing an environmental health science major; and (8) PRODUCT DATABASE (up to 5%): maintaining a database with all products sold to California consumers that ERC has tested for lead, cadmium, or arsenic. ERC will maintain adequate records to document that the funds paid as an ASP are spent on the activities described herein. ERC shall provide the Attorney General, within thirty days of any request, copies of documentation demonstrating how such funds have been spent.) )
Total Payments:
$ 72,500.00
Will settlement be submitted to court?
Yes
Contact Name: 
Anne Barker
Contact Organization: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc.
Email Address:
abarker.erc@gmail.com
Address: 
3111 Camino Del Rio North, Suite 400
City, State, Zip:
San Diego, CA 92108
Phone Number:
(619) 500-3090
Judgment
AG Number:
2014-01364
Judgment PDF: 
PDF icon 2014-01364J3426.pdf
Judgment Date:
03/28/2017
Settlement reported to AG: 
Fri, 01/27/2017
Case Name: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc. v. Global Juices, et al.
Court Name: 
Alameda County Superior Court
Court Docket Number: 
RG15767734
Plaintiff: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc.
Plaintiff Attorney: 
Anne Barker
Ryan Hoffman
Michael Freund
Defendant: 
Global Juices and Fruits, LLC dba Ruth's Food
Injunctive Relief: 
Beginning on effective date (date of entry of judgment by Court) if Global Juices reinstates its manufacture of any "covered products" identified in the Consent Judgment for sale in California, and/or distributes or directly sells in California, any covered product which exposes a person to a "daily lead exposure" of more than 0.5 micrograms a day when taken as directed on the product label, it must meet the warning requirements under section 3.2 of this Consent Judgment.
*Non-Contingent Civil Penalty:
$ 14,598.00
Attorney(s) Fees and Costs:
$ 46,954.00
Payment in Lieu of Penalty:
$ 10,948.00  ((Amounts are rounded. Actual amounts: Attorney fees and costs: $46,953.50, Civil Penalty: $14,598.00, and Additional Settlement Payment (“ASP”): $10,948.50. ASP shall be distributed pursuant to California Code of Regulations, title 11, sections 3203, subdivision (d) and 3204. ERC will utilize the ASP for activities that address the same public harm as allegedly caused by Defendant in this matter. These activities are detailed below and support ERC’s overarching goal of reducing and/or eliminating hazardous and toxic chemicals in dietary supplement products in California. ERC’s activities have had, and will continue to have, a direct and primary effect within the State of California because California consumers will be benefitted by the reduction and/or elimination of exposure to lead and/or cadmium in dietary supplements and/or by providing clear and reasonable warnings to California consumers prior to ingestion of the products. Based on a review of past years’ actual budgets, ERC is providing the following list of activities ERC engages in to protect California consumers through Proposition 65 citizen enforcement, along with a breakdown of how ASP funds will be utilized to facilitate those activities: (1) ENFORCEMENT (65-80%): obtaining, shipping, analyzing, and testing dietary supplement products that may contain lead and/or cadmium and are sold to California consumers. This work includes continued monitoring and enforcement of past consent judgments and settlements to ensure companies are in compliance with their obligations thereunder, with a specific focus on those judgments and settlements concerning lead and/or cadmium. This work also includes investigation of new companies that ERC does not obtain any recovery through settlement or judgment; (2) VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE PROGRAM (10-20%): maintaining ERC’s Voluntary Compliance Program by acquiring products from companies, developing and maintaining a case file, testing products from these companies, providing the test results and supporting documentation to the companies, and offering guidance in warning or implementing a self-testing program for lead and/or cadmium in dietary supplement products; and (3) “GOT LEAD” PROGRAM (up to 5%): maintaining ERC’s “Got Lead?” Program which reduces the numbers of contaminated products that reach California consumers by providing access to free testing for lead in dietary supplement products (Products submitted to the program are screened for ingredients which are suspected to be contaminated, and then may be purchased by ERC, catalogued, sent to a qualified laboratory for testing, and the results shared with the consumer that submitted the product). ERC shall be fully accountable in that it will maintain adequate records to document and will be able to demonstrate how the ASP funds will be spent and can assure that the funds are being spent only for the proper, designated purposes described in this Consent Judgment. ERC shall provide the Attorney General, within thirty days of any request, copies of documentation demonstrating how such funds have been spent. )
Total Payments:
$ 72,500.00
Is Judgment Pursuant to Settlement?
Yes
Contact Name: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc. v. Global Juices and Fruits, LLC dba Ruth's Food
Contact Organization: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc.
Email Address:
abarker.erc@gmail.com
Address: 
3111 Camino Del Rio North, Suite 400
City, State, Zip:
San Diego, CA 92108
Phone Number:
(619) 500-3090

* A non-contingent civil penalty is the civil penalty that must be paid pursuant to the settlement, regardless of future events or actions of the defendant. If a settlement includes a contingent penalty, the plaintiff should report the additional penalty amount when it becomes due.