Plaintiff Says Bell Bike Seats for Kids Not Truly USA-Made

Bell bike seats for kids are falsely labeled as being Made in the USA, according to a recent consumer class action lawsuit. The bike seat manufacturer is accused of purposely mislabeling child bicycle seats that allegedly contain components made in China.

The plaintiff claims that defendant Bell Sports Inc. purposely advertises Bell bike seats for kids as being made in the USA to fraudulently induce consumers to purchase them, or to pay a higher price than they would have paid otherwise.

The Bell bike seats for kids at issue in this action are molded plastic seats that mount over the rear wheel of an adult-size bike, allowing a small child to ride as a passenger.

Plaintiff Kristen M. of New Jersey says she bought a Limo child’s bicycle seat, part of Bell’s CoPilot line, at a bike shop in Montclair, N.J.

She says she chose that seat in reliance on the labeling showing an American flag and an indication that the product was made in the USA.

She says she later found out that certain parts of the seat were actually manufactured in Asia. The seat’s New Plush Seat Cushion was made in China, and the included Blackburn Expedition Rack was made in Taiwan, she claims.

Had she known the true origins of these components, Kristen says she would not have purchased the Limo or any other Bell bike seats for kids.

The Origins of Bell Bike Seats for Kids

The action raises the issue of whether a product can truly be described as domestically made when it actually contains some components that were made abroad. The issue can get complicated in the case of products that are made of a mix of foreign and domestic components.

Guidelines published by the Federal Trade Commission say that a product may be labeled as Made in the United States if “all or virtually all” of that product is actually American made.

All significant parts, processing and labor involved in creating the product must have originated in the U.S.

Products so labeled may contain a small trace of foreign-sourced parts or work, as long as those components don’t form a significant part of the finished product.

Kristen argues that Bell bike seats for kids contain more than an insignificant amount of foreign-made components – specifically the New Plush Seat Cushion and the Blackburn Rack. She accuses Bell of fraudulently concealing the foreign origin of these parts from consumers.

Consumers are more inclined to buy products that are domestically-made, Kristen says. They generally believe these products are of higher quality than similar foreign-made products. American consumers also prefer to support American companies and American workers, according to Kristen’s Bell lawsuit.

For those reasons, Kristen says, companies can charge a higher price for products labeled as being American made. She claims that’s why Bell labeled its children’s bike seats as being “Made in the USA”, even though they contain significant foreign-sourced components.

The consumer class action lawsuit raises claims under the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, which generally forbids companies from using false representations or omissions of material facts intended to induce consumers to make a purchase.

The Bell Children’s Bike Seat Lawsuit is Miller-Monteleone v. Bell Sports, Inc., et al., Case No. ESK-L-004546, in the Superior Court of New Jersey Law Division, Essex County.