Legal Blog

New EPA PFAS Reporting Rule Imposes Significant Burdens on Consumer Product Importers

The US Environmental Protection Agency recently finalized a regulation under Section 8(a)(7) (15 U.S.C. Section1607(a)(7)) of the federal Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) requiring businesses to submit a one-time report about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that they have manufactured or imported for each year from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2022. This reporting obligation also is imposed on importers (but not U.S. domestic manufacturers) of articles containing PFAS, e.g., consumer products containing PFAS. The deadline for submitting this one-time report is May 8, 2025. Importers of articles who qualify as “small” as defined under the rule (based on…

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Coffee Defendants Victorious in Proposition 65 Appeal

The long and circuitous journey of a Proposition 65 lawsuit alleging exposures to acrylamide in coffee seems to finally be at an end. The California appellate court in CERT v. Starbucks Corporation, (2022) 84 Cal.App.5th 879, has confirmed that, under a Proposition 65 regulation issued by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) in 2019, no cancer warnings are required for coffee. Beyond that, the opinion provides useful insights on entitlement to attorneys’ fees and Section 998 offers to settle in Proposition 65 cases. With the California Supreme Court recently  denying plaintiff's petition for review of the appellate…

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Ninth Circuit Upholds Preliminary Injunction in Prop 65 Acrylamide Challenge – But It’s Not Over Yet

In a victory for the California Chamber of Commerce and the regulated community at large, the Ninth Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction prohibiting public and private enforcers from filing new Proposition 65 lawsuits alleging exposures to acrylamide in foods and beverages. However, Council for Education on Research and Toxics (CERT), who intervened in CalChamber’s lawsuit against the California Attorney General – and who filed the appeal – now has filed a petition for rehearing en banc. CERT also has filed a motion in the lower court asking that the preliminary injunction be vacated based on allegations that the judge who…

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OEHHA Dials Back Short Form Warning Proposal

On April 5, 2022, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) published further revisions to its proposal to amend the Proposition 65 short form warning. Comments on the revised proposal must be submitted no later than April 20, 2022 and may be submitted here. The latest proposal still would require the short form warning to identify the chemical being warned for. Still, OEHHA includes changes that overall render it more palatable than OEHHA’s original proposal: The label size restrictions have been removed, so that the short form warning can be used on any label size; The font size…

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California Appellate Court Opinion Answers Longstanding Questions – And Further Incentivizes Warnings

In a March 11, 2022 opinion, the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, resolved key questions pertaining to Proposition 65 compliance and enforcement. While the key take-away message is that online retailers cannot rely on federal law to absolve them of responsibility to provide Proposition 65 warnings, the opinion answers a number of longstanding questions for the broader regulated community. These answers will provide even further incentives for businesses to provide warnings for consumer products in order to avoid enforcement lawsuits. Background In 2014, plaintiff Larry Lee issued a Notice of Violation alleging that Amazon.com failed to provide clear…

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