Bell Children’s Bicycle Seats May Not Be ‘Made in the USA’

Bell, the manufacturer of the Bell children’s bicycle seats, is under fire as New Jersey consumers have taken legal action against them claiming that the seats were not “Made in USA” as is printed on the products.

This class action lawsuit is brought on behalf of all those who purchased Bell children’s bicycle seats that carry a label “Made in USA” or “MADE IN U.S.A.”

The plaintiffs claim that Bell placed these labels as well as an image of the American flag on Bell children’s bicycle seats that were made of component parts that are manufactured outside of the U.S.

They claim that this is in violation of New Jersey state and federal laws concerning these practices.

For example, both the “New Plush Seat Cushion”  and the entire Blackburn Expedition Rack are made in China and Taiwan, respectively, according to this lawsuit. They claim that the inclusion of these two parts in a “Made in USA” product makes Bell children’s bicycle seats not eligible for the label.

This lawsuit is in specific reference but not limited to COPILOT and COCOON line of Bell children’s bicycle seats.

Under relevant labeling laws, Bell is not allowed to sell a product with the “Made in USA” label on it if it contains more than a minimum amount of foreign-made products.

The New Jersey lawsuit claims that Bell fraudulently concealed facts to consumers about where the components of their Bell children’s bicycle seats are made.  The lawsuit also claims that the consumer population has very little knowledge about where components are made so they trust the manufacturers label.

According to the New Jersey Administrative Code entitled “General Advertising Practices,” if a company cannot provide evidence about the safety, performance, efficiency, quality or price of an advertised product, it constitutes a violation of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.

The main plaintiff in this lawsuit claims she purchased a COPILOT LIMO Bell children’s bicycle seat from a store in Montclair, New Jersey.

At the time, the seat was marked with a “Made in USA” label. According to this lawsuit, because a significant amount of the component parts were made outside of the U.S., Bell was not entitled to use this label.

The plaintiff believed at the time that she by purchasing a Bell product, she was in fact supporting the U.S. and the U.S. economy. She says she felt cheated when she learned that the Bell children’s bicycle seat was actually made up of parts that were not manufactured in the U.S.

She claims that she received a product of lesser value than promised.

This plaintiff brings this lawsuit on behalf of her and anyone else who has purchased a similar Bell children’s bicycle seat.

A similar class action lawsuit that was settled in 2012, Jeffrey M. Card v. Bell Sports, Inc., alleges the company violated California law saying its Taxi and Limo child seats were “MADE IN USA” when they were not. Class members are entitled to compensation.

The Bell’s Children Bicycle Seats Class Action Lawsuit is Kristin Miller-Monteleone v. Bell Sports Inc., Case No. ESX-L-004546 in the Superior Court of New Jersey Law Division, Essex County.