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Another Class Action Filed Against Lumber Liquidators for Formaldehyde in Chinese Flooring

A group purporting to represent consumers filed yet another class action lawsuit against Lumber Liquidators for high formaldehyde emissions from the company’s wood flooring products. The Jan. 14 complaint brought by four people in Alabama, Virginia, and New York who bought wood flooring products from Lumber Liquidators follows two other similar lawsuits filed in late November and early December (see 13120432).

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According to all three lawsuits, Chinese wood flooring imported and sold by Lumber Liquidators has excessive levels of carcinogenic formaldehyde emissions. The complaints cite an article published June 20 on SeekingAlpha.com (here) that said independent laboratories tested wood flooring sold by Lumber Liquidators and found that formaldehyde emissions were over 3.5 times the maximum legal limit. The two earlier lawsuits also alleged Lacey Act violations due to illegal logging in the Russian Far East. One of the earlier suits seeks damages for securities fraud rather than consumer fraud.

The most recent class action, filed by Andre and Joyce Lambert, Jeff McBride, and Bethany Ball at the Eastern Virginia U.S. District Court, claims to represent anyone in Alabama, Virginia or New York who bought and installed wood flooring from Lumber Liquidators that was sourced from China. The complaint says they bought “Morningstar Bamboo” flooring from Lumber Liquidators that emitted excess levels of formaldehyde, despite marketing claims and warranties from the wood flooring company. The lawsuit seeks damages for each affected buyer of wood flooring from Lumber Liquidators, as well as a court order that Lumber Liquidators replace their flooring free of charge.

Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of this complaint.