ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE
Case # 30-2014-00758971-CU-MC-CJC
Date: January 7, 2015
*Unsafe environment resulted in 2011 death of employee
SANTA ANA – Vista Paint Corporation (Vista Paint) was ordered to pay $950,000 to settle a civil lawsuit charging illegal handling and use of a toxic hazardous substance, which resulted in the death of one employee and serious injury to another at Vista Paint’s Fullerton facility. The final judgment signed in the Superior Court of California in Orange County by the Honorable Frederick P. Horn on Dec. 11, 2014, was received earlier this week.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) charged Vista Paint for violating a prior injunction (OCSC Case No. 30-2010-00436630) by permitting the unsafe handling and use by employees of a paint and epoxy remover that contained a toxic hazardous substance known as methylene chloride. Methylene chloride is known to cause cancer, death and long-term harm to individuals exposed to the substance without adequate ventilation. Continue reading