Settlement Date:
11/08/2024
Case Name:
Environmental Research Center vs. Barebones Ventures, LLC
Court Name:
Alameda County Superior Court - Hayward
Plaintiff:
Environmental Research Center, Inc.
Plaintiff Attorney:
Environmental Research Center
Injunctive Relief:
Beginning on the dates referenced in Section 3.2, Barebones shall be permanently enjoined from manufacturing for sale in the State of California, “Distributing for sale into the State of California,” or directly selling in the State of California, any Covered Product that exposes a person to a “Daily Lead Exposure Level” of more than 0.5 micrograms of lead per day and/or any detectible level of PFOS unless it meets the warning requirements and methods under Section 3.2. This section shall not apply to any Covered Product that is already manufactured and packaged and no longer in the possession of or under the control of Barebones Ventures as of the Effective Date.
*Non-Contingent Civil Penalty:
$ 14,500.00
Attorney(s) Fees and Costs:
$ 44,628.00
Payment in Lieu of Penalty:
$ 10,872.00 ($ 10,872.00 (Amounts rounded: Actual amounts: $14,500 Civil Penalty, $44,628.01 fees and costs, and $10,871.99 ASP) $10,871.99 shall be distributed to ERC as an Additional Settlement Payment (“ASP”), which shall be subject to the Court’s ongoing judicial oversight pursuant to California Code of Regulations, title 11, section 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 PFOS 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 (up to 65-80%): obtaining, shipping, analyzing, and testing dietary supplement products that may contain lead or PFOS 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 or PFOS. This work also includes investigation of new companies that ERC does not obtain any recovery through settlement or judgment; (2) VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE PROGRAM (up to 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 PFOS 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:
$ 70,000.00
Will settlement be submitted to court?
Contact Organization:
Environmental Research Center
Address:
3111 Camino Del Rio North, Suite 400
City, State, Zip:
San Diego, CA 92108
Phone Number:
(619) 500-3090
