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A class action lawsuit is taking on furniture retailer Ashley Furniture over claims that its DuraBlend upholstery fails to hold up under ordinary use.
Plaintiff Sladjana Perisic of Florida is accusing Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. of violating Florida consumer protection laws with its DuraBlend upholstery, a hybrid of synthetic and natural materials made to mimic the appearance of leather.
She says Ashley Furniture “falsely, deceptively or misleadingly promoted, marketed, advertised, and sold furniture with DuraBlend” as if it were a high-quality, durable product. But in fact, she claims, DuraBlend upholstery starts to peel and fall apart soon after being exposed to normal wear and tear.
According to this Ashley Furniture class action lawsuit, DuraBlend is marketed as “blended leather,” which Perisic says is synonymous with “bonded leather.” Bonded leather consists of scraps of animal hide adhered together and covered with layers of polish and other materials to give it the appearance of a single piece of leather.
Perisic quotes an article on the subject from Consumer Affairs that says “the true difference between bonded and genuine leather is its durability,” a detail that many retailers allegedly fail to mention to their customers.
The plaintiff says that in August 2013 she purchased a DuraBlend-upholstered sofa, loveseat and recliner from an Ashley Furniture store in Pinellas Park, Fla., at a cost of about $1,700. She says the promotional material for that furniture said its DuraBlend upholstery was “as durable as leather.”
But by early 2016, she claims, the upholstery had started “bubbling and peeling.” The top leather-like layer on the cushions and arm rests allegedly began to peel away, exposing the coarse, off-white material underneath.
Perisic says she made a claim under the furniture protection plan she had purchased from the Guardsman company. Guardsman denied that claim, stating that the damage to her furniture was a manufacturing defect, the class action lawsuit states.
The plaintiff says she paid a premium to Ashley Furniture based on its representations that DuraBlend upholstery was as durable as leather. Had she known that DuraBlend would fail to hold up under ordinary use, Perisic says she either would not have purchased it or would have been willing to pay significantly less for it.
Perisic proposes to represent a plaintiff Class consisting of all persons who purchased furniture with DuraBlend upholstery from Ashley Furniture in the State of Florida. She expects Class Members will number in the thousands.
She is seeking an order from the court that would require Ashley Furniture to conform its marketing of DuraBlend upholstery to applicable legal requirements. She also seeks an award of actual, incidental, statutory and punitive damages and reimbursement of her attorney’s fees and court costs, with interest.
Perisic is represented by Julie Braman Kane and Stephanie A. Casey of Colson Hicks Eidson PA, and by Mike Arias and Mikael H. Stahle of Arias Sanguinetti Stahle & Torrijos LLP.
The Ashley Furniture DuraBlend Defective Product Class Action Lawsuit is Sladjana Perisic v. Ashley Furniture Industries Inc., Case No. 8:16-cv-03255, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
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228 thoughts onAshley Furniture Class Action Says DuraBlend Upholstery Falls Apart
Anyone knows if this class action lawsuit is still going on? I bought my sofa in 2017 WITH the warranty. I just filed the claims today and was rejected….the same cracking/peeling symptoms. I’d like to be included in this lawsuit. Thanks
I also would like to b. Never again will buy from Ashley. Bought a living room set 4 years ago and peeling. Looks horrible. This should last
I put loveseat. couch Nd both peeled and crinkled and would be even stuck to your uncovers body parts
I paid over 2100 dollars on that yrip. i would love to be reimbursed for my ignorance by believing that I was purchasing genuine lesther
Same issues with desk chair and two loungers. Purchased for a second home and in a room where blinds closed when not in town. The durablend peels and flaked off with little use. It has gotten progressively worse. Wish I had researched before purchasing and seen these complaints.
I purchased a sectional, durablend. I paid Ashley Furniture an extra 399.00 for an insurance. If i file a claim in 4 years I was told i would get the 399. back. I called and they know nothing about it. Also, my chair, the most used of the set. the head area is fading, looks terrible. I paid 3600.00 for this set, a supposed black Friday DEAL… I’m so disappointed in Ashley and the furniture. I have had it 5 years.
We bought 2 sofas that Ashley Furniture told us were leather sofas on the seat bottoms and backs and that the rest of the areas on the sides and back were durabond. We paid a premium price for these sofas thinking we were buying expensive and leather sofas. However, the seats and backs of them that were supposed to be leather started to crack and peel on both of them. Ashley Furniture was used very deceptive practices to get people to buy these “leather” sofas! Had we known we would not have purchased them because we buy quality furniture so that is lasts. This is why we spend are money in “quality” so we thought! Ashley Furniture needs to pay us back for their very deceptive sales practices and very poor quality furniture they sell as being leather. These sofas were barely used less than 5 times as they were not used for every day use. That is why we were especially shocked to see them peeling as they had barely been used at all. This is horrible business practice and have not bought anything from them since. They need to refund our money for what we paid for their telling us we bought leather seating when it was not leather at all.
I purchased this sectional with my income tax return and after about 4 to 7 months the top layer started peeling off on pieces . I need to be included. Thanks
Spent $4k on living room and dining room furniture 7 months ago. Didnt even receive the sofa u til 5 months ago. Sofa arrived with obvious attempted repairs. Was told they would fix it or replace it. Had to call them about 6 times to even get an appointment. Now the dining table is peeling badly for no apparent reason. Will never buy from or recommend Ashley to anyone. When their commercials come on tv, I shout “Ashley sucks” every time. Now my kids all join in and say it too. Hopefully they’ll never get cheated out of their hard earned money like I did with cheap furniture that didn’t even last a year.
Peeling hideous furniture that even with a protection plan purchased, ashley would not honor repairs. Misled and lied to in order to get me to pay for a pointless protection plan.
I do have the same peeling problem with the sofa and love seat purchased from the Ashley store in San Felipe Houston in 2013. They wouldn’t do anything When I complained just after an year of purchase. This problem wasn’t even covered by the insurance provided by them with a payment of $250. They are cheating the customers. This purchase has resulted in lots of inconveniences, loss of money, and time.