Lumber Liquidators Class Action Alleges Laminate Flooring Not Durable

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A class action lawsuit was filed against Lumber Liquidators on July 25, alleging that the hardwood flooring retailer is misleading in its advertising of its “Dream Home” brand laminate flooring.

“These products are not durable as represented, and are not merchantable for general household use because they do not meet the claimed industry standard,” the Lumber Liquidators class action lawsuit asserts.

According to the class action, “Lumber Liquidators’ failure to disclose that the Laminates were substandard and defective caused Plaintiff and the proposed class to overpay for the subject flooring.”

Lumber Liquidators sells hardwood and laminate flooring to consumers through a network of over 300 retail stores in 46 states, as well as online. The false advertising class action lawsuit states that Lumber Liquidators exclusively markets and sells its Dream Home brand laminate flooring, which includes the St. James, Ispiri, Kensington Manor, and Nirvana lines of laminate. Though the company sources its laminate from different countries, the class action lawsuit is targeting its Chinese-made Dream Home laminate.

The Lumber Liquidators laminate flooring class action alleges that the company falsely advertises its Dream Home flooring as meeting the “AC3” industry standard for residential floors. The complaint states that AC3-rated laminate is suitable for heavy traffic and general household use. However, the class action contends that Lumber Liquidators Dream Home laminate manufactured in China does not meet that standard.

In fact, the false advertising class action states that the company’s laminate flooring has failed to meet the AC3 rating in certified laboratory testing over the past few months. The class action contends the lower quality of flooring leads to problems for consumers such as scratching, chipping, fading, warping, staining, and “wear patterns that expose and deteriorate the photographic paper layer of the laminate that is supposed to be protected by the wear layer for twenty-five to thirty years.”

According to the laminate flooring class action lawsuit, Lumber Liquidators promotes its Dream Homes laminate as “extremely durable,” “scratch resistant,” and “harder than hardwood.”  The product’s limited warranty states that it meets the “industry’s highest standard,” according to the complaint.

The class action argues that calling a laminate “durable” means that it meets at least the AC3 standard, and that AC3 is the industry standard for residential flooring. The complaint quotes the Lumber Liquidators website on AC rating and durability, stating “An AC3 for residential use is perfectly adequate.”

But the durability Dream Home brand laminate from Lumber Liquidators was not perfectly adequate, according to Plaintiff Madeline Green.  Green states that she purchased laminate  from Lumber Liquidators in Florida in June of 2014. Green claims she talked to an employee about her new puppy and was assured the laminate was “very durable.”

However, Green asserts that she soon discovered “splitting, warping, cupping and peeling of the surface of the flooring, especially near the edges and anywhere that water drops.” The Lumber Liquidators class action lawsuit also cites numerous other consumer complaints from several websites with similar issues.

Plaintiff Madeline Green “seeks to represent herself and all similarly-situated persons who have purchased Dream Home laminate flooring products from Defendant in the United States,” for consumer protection violations, as well as a subclass of Florida residents on other state law claims. The class action requests restitution, punitive damages, and a court order stopping Lumber Liquidators from making the false and misleading statements about its laminate flooring.

Green is represented by Jordan L. Chaikin of the Chaikin Law Firm PLLC.

The Lumber Liquidators Laminate Flooring False Advertising Class Action Lawsuit is Madeline Green v. Lumber Liquidators, Inc., Case No. 8:16-cv-02142, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division.