Tung oil not primary ingredient in Watco Tung Oil, Rust-Oleum class action lawsuit alleges

Rust-Oleum class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Andrew Komkaran filed a class action lawsuit against Rust-Oleum.
• Why: Rust-Oleum allegedly fails to disclose tung oil is not the primary ingredient in its Watco Tung Oil product.
• Where: The Rust-Oleum lawsuit was filed in New York federal court.

Rust-Oleum Corporation misleads consumers into believing its Watco Tung Oil products consist primarily of tung oil even though tung oil is not a primary ingredient, a Rust-Oleum class action lawsuit alleges.

Plaintiff Andrew Komkaran explains in the Rust-Oleum class action that tung oil is a type of oil used as a water-resistant finish on a variety of surfaces. He says many consumers seek out pure tung oil because it is free of distillates and additives.

“Consumers often pay a price premium for what they perceive to be authentic products, particularly those perceived to be pure,” as is the case with Rust-Oleum’s Watco Tung Oil products, Komkaran alleges.

Rust-Oleum class action says product contains less than 20% tung oil

The Rust-Oleum lawsuit points to the Watco Tung Oil label, which prominently displays the term “Tung Oil” in large font. This prominent label leads consumers to expect the product to contain 100% tung oil, or at least be made up of primarily tung oil, Komkaran alleges.

However, Rust-Oleum fails to disclose that only a fraction of its Watco Tung Oil product is actually tung oil, according to the Rust-Oleum class action lawsuit.

“Consumers have no way of knowing, when purchasing the products, that they are being deceived and the products only contain a small amount of tung oil,” Komkaran alleges, noting that tung oil makes up less than 20% of the total weight of the Watco tung oil product.

Komkaran says he would not have purchased the Watco Tung Oil product if he had known Rust-Oleum’s representations were false and misleading. He says he paid more for the product than he would otherwise have paid if Rust-Oleum had accurately represented the product’s contents.

Komkaran filed the Rust-Oleum class action lawsuit on behalf of himself and a proposed class of consumers who purchased Watco Tung Oil in New York at any time since Jan. 26, 2021.

A Rust-Oleum class action lawsuit filed last year alleged the company sold paint-and-primer products that do not work without using a separate primer product.

Have you purchased Rust-Oleum’s Watco Tung Oil finish? Tell us what you think of the Rust-Oleum lawsuit allegations in the comments.

Komkaran is represented by Ben Travis of Ben Travis Law APC and Michael R. Reese and Charles D. Moore of Reese LLP.

The Rust-Oleum class action lawsuit is Andrew Komkaran v. Rust-Oleum Corp., Case No. 1:24-cv-00612, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

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