60 Day Notice 2015-00513

AG Number: 
2015-00513
Notice PDF: 
Date Filed: 
06/05/2015
Noticing Party: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc.
Plaintiff Attorney: 
Christina M. Caro
Alleged Violators: 
Reserve Life Organics, LLC
Reserve Life Nutrition, L.L.C.
Reserveage, LLC
Reserve Life Organics, LLC, dba Reserveage Organics, dba Reserveage, LLC, dba Reserveage Organics, Inc., dba Reserveage, Inc., dba Reserveage, dba Reserveage Nutrition
Chemicals: 
Lead and lead compounds
Source: 
Dietary Supplements

60-Day Notice Document

Settlement
AG Number:
2015-00513
Settlement PDF: 
Settlement Date:
08/27/2015
Case Name: 
Envt'l Research Ctr. v. Reserve Life Organics, LLC et al.
Court Name: 
No Litigation Filed
Court Docket Number: 
N/A
Plaintiff: 
Environmental Research Center, Inc.
Plaintiff Attorney: 
Christina M. Caro
Defendant: 
Reserve Life Organics, LLC
Reserve Life Nutrition, L.L.C.
Reserve Life Organics, dba Reserveage Organics, dba Reserveage, dba Reseveage Nutrition
Injunctive Relief: 
Beginning on the Effective Date, Reserve Life shall not manufacture for sale in the State of California, “Distribute into the State of California”, or directly sell in the State of California, any Covered Product which exposes a person to a “Daily Lead Exposure Level” of more than 0.5 micrograms of lead per day when the maximum suggested dose is taken as directed on the Covered Product’s label excluding the lead deemed “naturally occurring” for purposes of this Settlement Agreement only pursuant to Section 3(d), unless the label of each such unit of the Covered Product bears the following warning statement on its individual unit label packaging or by sticker securely affixed on the container or bottle cap: “WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause [cancer and] birth defects or other reproductive harm.” i. As used in this Settlement Agreement and Release, the term “Distribute into the State of California” shall mean to directly ship a Covered Product into California for sale in California or to sell a Covered Product to a distributor that Reserve Life knows will sell the Covered Product in California. ii. For the purposes of this Agreement, “Daily Lead Exposure Level” shall be measured in micrograms, and shall be calculated using the following formula: micrograms of lead per gram of product, multiplied by grams of product per serving of the product (using the largest serving size appearing on the product label), multiplied by servings of the product per day (using the largest number of servings in a recommended dosage appearing on the product label), which equals micrograms of lead exposure per day. iii. The phrase “cancer and” must be included in the warning only if the maximum recommended daily dose causes an exposure to more than 15 micrograms of lead when taken as directed on the Covered Product’s label. c. The warning statement set forth in Section 3b. shall be prominent and displayed securely on either the cap, the unit packaging, or by a sticker securely affixed to the Covered Products with such conspicuousness, as compared with other words, statements, or designs so as to render it likely to be read and understood by an ordinary individual purchasing or using the Covered Products. The warning appearing on the label or container shall be at least the same size as the largest of any other health or safety warnings correspondingly appearing on the label or container, as applicable, or such product, and the word “WARNING” shall be in capital letters and in bold print. No other statements may accompany the warning.
*Non-Contingent Civil Penalty:
$ 27,616.00
Attorney(s) Fees and Costs:
$ 10,953.00
Payment in Lieu of Penalty:
$ 41,431.00  ($27,616.00 shall be considered a civil penalty pursuant to California Health and Safety Code §25249.7(b)(1). ERC shall remit 75% ($20,712.00) of the civil penalty to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (“OEHHA”) for deposit in the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Fund in accordance with California Health and Safety Code §25249.12(c). ERC will retain the remaining 25% ($6,904.00) of the civil penalty. $1,533.28 shall be considered a reimbursement to ERC for its costs incurred as a result of bringing this Matter to Companies’ attention and negotiating a settlement. $41,431.22 shall be considered payment in lieu of civil penalties, for day-to-day business activities such as (1) continued enforcement of Proposition 65, which includes work, analyzing, researching and testing consumer products that may contain Proposition 65 chemicals, focusing on the same or similar type of ingestible products that are the subject of this Matter; and (2) the continued monitoring of past consent judgments and settlements to ensure companies are in compliance with Proposition 65. $4,666.00 shall be considered reimbursement of attorney fees for Adams Broadwell Joseph and Cardozo, and $4,753.50 shall be considered reimbursement for ERC’s in-house legal fees. )
Total Payments:
$ 80,000.00
Will settlement be submitted to court?
No
Contact Name: 
Christina M. Caro
Contact Organization: 
Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo
Email Address:
ccaro@adamsbroadwell.com
Address: 
601 Gateway Blvd., Suite 1000
City, State, Zip:
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Phone Number:
650-589-1660
Fax Number:
650-589-5062


* 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.