Home Depot class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Plaintiff Hazel Cabanlit filed a class action lawsuit against Home Depot Inc.
- Why: Cabanlit claims Home Depot misleads customers by charging them more at checkout than they were led to believe they would pay.
- Where: The Home Depot class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court.
A new class action lawsuit accuses Home Depot of misleading customers by charging higher prices at checkout than those advertised on store shelves.
Plaintiff Hazel Cabanlit filed the class action complaint against Home Depot on Feb. 27 in Illinois federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.
According to the class action lawsuit, Home Depot has engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices by placing false and misleading price advertisements on shelf signs and price displays throughout its stores in Illinois and nationwide.
Cabanlit claims Home Depot uses shelf pricing to advertise prices for merchandise to enable consumers to calculate pricing differences among brands, identify bargains and induce consumers to purchase the advertised merchandise.
“Consumers reasonably rely on shelf pricing to make informed purchasing decisions and reasonably expect to pay the advertised shelf price when they reach the checkout,” she says.
However, the lawsuit claims the shelf prices frequently differ from the amounts charged at the register, causing customers to unknowingly pay more than the advertised price.
Cabanlit alleges this practice amounts to a “bait and switch” that results in consumers overpaying for merchandise.
Home Depot aware of deceptive pricing, class action alleges
The class action lawsuit alleges the misleading shelf pricing affects a wide range of merchandise throughout Home Depot stores, with some items ringing up at prices roughly 10% to 40% higher than those advertised.
Cabanlit claims Home Depot is aware of the alleged pricing discrepancies, noting the retailer has previously been fined for similar practices and entered into stipulated judgments with multiple California district attorneys.
The fines have not dissuaded Home Depot from continuing its unfair and deceptive practices, the lawsuit alleges.
“The fines ($2 million in total) are diminutive for the multi-million-dollar retailer and dwarf the millions of dollars Home Depot profits each year from selling overcharged goods,” she says. “So, because doing so is profitable, Home Depot paid the fines but has continued its misleading, unfair and deceptive pricing practices.”
Cabanlit seeks to represent anyone who bought merchandise from a Home Depot store in the United States, within the applicable statute of limitations, and paid higher prices for merchandise than the advertised shelf prices.
She is suing under state and federal consumer laws and seeks certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.
Last year, Home Depot faced a class action lawsuit alleging it forced customers to pay “optional” damage protection fees when renting tools.
What do you think of the claims made in this Home Depot class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Scott H. Gingold of Gingold Legal and Stanley D. Bernstein, Michael S. Bigin, Stephanie M. Beige and Robert S. Rowley of Bernstein Liebhard LLP.
The Home Depot class action lawsuit is Cabanlit v. Home Depot Inc., Case No. 1:26-cv-02241, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
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