Kelly-Moore Paint Company To Pay $1.43 Million In Hazardous Waste Lawsuit Settlement
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A lawsuit by 10 Northern California district attorneys led by San Mateo County's DA against Kelly-Moore Paint Company has resulted in a $1.43 million settlement to resolve allegations of hazardous waste law violations, authorities announced.
San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe Monday announced the settlement by San Carlos-based Kelly-Moore following a lawsuit alleging the company routinely and illegally dumped paint, aerosol products, electronic devices and other hazardous waste into company waste bins sent to municipal landfills which were not authorized to accept hazardous waste.
The company was sued by Wagstaffe and the DA's from Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, Placer, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
The suit also alleged Kelly-Moore did not shred customer records containing confidential information before disposal.
In a statement Monday, Wagstaffe said the investigation of Kelly-Moore was initiated by the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) using a series of undercover inspections of waste bins originating at 29 separate Kelly-Moore locations between March 2016 through December 2018.
Kelly-Moore officials immediately agreed to cooperate with the district attorneys once they were notified about the unlawful disposals and implemented measures and dedicated additional resources towards environmental compliance at its stores, Wagstaffe said.
The settlement also requires Kelly-Moore to hire a compliance officer to oversee its hazardous waste compliance program and to perform waste disposal audits.
