Melissa LaFreniere  |  April 21, 2015

Category: Consumer News

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lumber-liquidators-floorA class action lawsuit claims Lumber Liquidators, one of the largest retailers of hardwood flooring in the United States, intentionally misrepresented their cheap flooring as a safe product, knowing it contained dangerous levels of formaldehyde. Plaintiff Meri P., filing on behalf of herself and thousands of other Louisiana Class Members, alleges Lumber Liquidators repeatedly told consumers that their flooring complied with strict formaldehyde standards when in fact formaldehyde resins make up 10-11 percent of their product, which is well above U.S. standards. The plaintiffs are seeking more than $5 million in damages from the discount company in order to be reimbursed for the toxic wood flooring.

Toxic Flooring Overview

Lumber Liquidators opened its first store in 1996 and began marketing their cheap flooring with claims of working directly with lumber mills, therefore “eliminating the middlemen and passing the savings on to its customers.” According to the plaintiffs, Lumber Liquidators also made claims of only purchasing material from “suppliers who practice sustainable harvesting, which allows forests to heal and grow faster,” making the company a more “environmentally conscientious” option. The class action lawsuit claims that despite marketing the company as being environmentally conscientious, Lumber Liquidators actually created toxic levels of chemical exposure for their customers.

Lumber Liquidators produced the inexpensive product by primarily outsourcing the flooring manufacturing to China, a country with almost non-existent formaldehyde restrictions. Formaldehyde is a toxic chemical found in the glue used to help bond wood fibers in the manufacturing of cheap flooring. This chemical becomes a gas at room temperature and is known as a human carcinogen, causing serious medical conditions. According to the plaintiffs, wood flooring materials can release high levels of formaldehyde into the air, creating a toxic environment in the home. Lumber Liquidators flooring that was manufactured in China is reported to contain as much as 20 times the level of formaldehyde allowed under U.S. regulations.

According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), long-term exposure to formaldehyde puts individuals at a higher risk of developing cancer of the nose and accessory sinuses, along with lung cancer.

The plaintiffs in this class action Lumber Liquidators lawsuit are not asking to be compensated for formaldehyde exposure and potential future health risks, they only want to have the costs of the flooring reimbursed as they would not have bought the product had they known of the dangerous formaldehyde exposure.

The Lumber Liquidators Class Action Lawsuit is Case 2:15-cv-00780-JTM-KWR in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Lumber Liquidators Lawsuits

Other Lumber Liquidators lawsuits are asking the company to change their advertising in an effort to clearly inform customers of the formaldehyde risks associated with the discount flooring. Personal injury attorneys are seeking out plaintiffs to join a Lumber Liquidators class action lawsuit or an individual lawsuit depending on the claims.

If you have unknowingly exposed yourself and your family to the risks of formaldehyde exposure after purchasing Lumber Liquidators flooring, you may have a legal claim.
UPDATE: Several Lumber Liquidators class action lawsuits wereconsolidated into a multidistrict litigation(MDL), or mass tort, and transferred to a Virginia federal court by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), alleging that the flooring company sold wood floors containing toxic levels of formaldehyde.

Join a Free Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you purchased laminate flooring from Lumber Liquidators, you may have a legal claim. Join a free class action lawsuit investigation to see if you qualify.

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One thought on Lumber Liquidators Class Action Lawsuit Claims Toxic Exposure

  1. Top Class Actions says:

    UPDATE: Several Lumber Liquidators class action lawsuits were consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL), or mass tort, and transferred to a Virginia federal court by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), alleging that the flooring company sold wood floors containing toxic levels of formaldehyde.

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