Travel Goods Association

Product safety — California Prop 65 settlements top $141 million since 2000

Between 2000 and 2010 over 2,000 California Proposition 65 settlements have been reported. The total payout from those settlements reached $141 million. Each settlement is split into 3 categories, Penalty, Attorney Fees, and other (which includes injunctive relief "benefitting the public," such as product reformulation, emission reduction, or warnings). Penalties comprised 15% of the total payout at $20,597,579, while attorney fees accounted for 63% of the total payout with $88,888,522 and other comprising 22% of the payout total with $31,600,090. When split by Plaintiffs, the California Attorney General accounted for the most settlement money with 92 settlements, at an average of $244,022, totaling $22,450,008. After the California AG came Center for Environmental Health (278 settlements at an average of $75,374 per settlement totaling $20,954,000), Anthony Held/Russel Brimer (371 settlements averaging $45,741 per settlement totaling $16,969,939), Mateel (340 settlements averaging $44,587 per settlement totaling $15,159,687) and Communities for a Better Environment (26 settlements averaging $451,557 per settlement totaling $11,740,490). In 2010, 790 "60-Day Notices" were issued (208 apparel, footwear and fashion-related) and 187 settlements were reached totaling $13,620,981.