Retailers Under Fire for Falsely Using ‘Made in USA’ Label

As the investigation against the clothing brand, Citizens of Humanity, is underway, a number of other companies have caught fire for allegedly mislabeling their products.

Specifically, these companies have been allegedly stating that their clothing is “Made in the USA” or otherwise 100 percent manufactured in America. However, this has been found to not be the case in many of these situations; this directly violates California state marketing laws.

While this investigation is only open for California consumers for now, it is important to note that there are also federal regulations against mislabeling and false advertising, with experts encouraging potential plaintiffs to seek legal counsel.

Citizens of Humanity is one of the leading design and manufacturing companies of denim jean products, and distributes their products to over 1,300 retailers around the world. Stores these products are sold at include Macy’s Inc., Anthropologie, Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, and online at Shopbop.com.

In a recent example of false “Made in America” claims, the clothing store Lands’ End is trying to evade a Made in USA class action lawsuit. The plaintiff is claiming false advertising; she states that the necktie she purchased had falsely stated that it was entirely made in America, but she claims otherwise.

This lawsuit was submitted in October 2014, when plaintiff Elaine O. filed in the U.S. District Court of Southern California, claiming that Lands’ End had falsely represented the necktie she bought as American. The tie is thought to be made in China.

Lands’ End responded by trying to dismiss the claim in June 2015, stating that the plaintiff lacked the standing or evidence to bring the case forward. The company argued that the “Made in USA” was only stated online, which is excluded from California’s statue, because the label does not appear on the merchandise itself.

Elaine did not back down, insisting that the company did indeed violate state law regarding the Made in USA label policy. Lands’ End tried to dismiss the claim a second time, stating that the plaintiff was already refunded for the tie, plus interest, eight days before she filed her amended complaint. Furthermore, the company argues that she lacks any legal standing or proof to carry this “Made in USA” lawsuit forward.

Overview of Made in USA Allegations

Like many of the major retailers, Citizen of Humanity often sports a label indicating that their products were completely made in America. This essentially means that all components making up their jeans are from the United States, and that the manufacturing process was held to strict American standards.

However, consumers claim that a number of Citizens of Humanity products contained components that were suspiciously inferior, and broke apart soon after purchase. Parts allegedly found to be of foreign source include the zipper, fabric, thread, buttons, rivets, and other parts of the assembly. As unfortunate as it is, it is not at all uncommon for companies to outsource to other countries for parts for product assembly, due to the cheaper prices and lack of regulations.

Despite the extra hassle for manufacturing companies, consumers are increasingly demanding products “Made in America” for superior quality, as well as to contribute to the economy.

Sadly, this growing social consciousness of consumers has caused a false advertising epidemic amongst American retailers, hoping to cash-in on the trend.

There are currently several California class action lawyers investigating Citizens of Humans for allegedly falsely advertising their products as “Made in the USA” or “Made in USA,” in violation of state and federal marketing laws.

Join a Free Citizens of Humanity ‘Made in the USA’ Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you purchased one or more Citizens of Humanity apparel products in California in the past four years based, in part, on a “Made in the USA” label, you may be able to seek compensation by joining a class action lawsuit investigation.

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