Two additional class action lawsuits have been filed against Lumber Liquidators (Toano, Va.) due to claims that the company sourced products from protected Russian forests and sold products with illegally high levels of formaldehyde.
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Two additional class action lawsuits have been filed against Lumber Liquidators (Toano, Va.) due to claims that the company sourced products from protected Russian forests and sold products with illegally high levels of formaldehyde.
Yesterday the firm Glancy, Binkow & Goldberg LLP filed a separate class action suit against the company on behalf of investors, according to Business Wire, claiming that company and certain of its executive misrepresented or failed to disclose that certain of the company's products failed to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products, and that the company imported flooring products sourced from illegally logged wood in the Russian Far East, in violation of the Lacey Act.
This suit comes after investor Gregg Kiken filed a suit at the end of November alleging that company executives made false and misleading statements about the sourcing of its wood products.
Meanwhile, a different suit was filed last week with the Virginia federal court, according to Legal Newsline, in which homeowners allege that a line of Chinese wood flooring sold by Lumber Liquidators emits "excessive levels" of formaldehyde.
"Indeed, contrary to Lumber Liquidators' repeated, detailed representations that its flooring complies with strict formaldehyde standards on its product labels, website, and elsewhere, the toxic formaldehyde emissions from the company's Chinese flooring products are multiple times the maximum permissible limits set by those standards at the time of purchase," plaintiffs Donnie Williamson, Melissa Stini and Jennifer Hogencamp wrote in their 53-page complaint.
The plaintiffs installed the flooring in their homes and contend that their homes are now "markedly less valuable."
They are seeking damages-for installation and removal costs, remediation costs, restocking fees, loss of use and diminished value-attorneys' fees and costs, and pre-judgment and post-judgment interest "at the highest rates allowed by law" on the damages awarded.
In September, federal authorities executed sealed search warrants on Lumber Liquidators that may have been related to a report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). The EIA report concluded that Lumber Liquidators knowingly imported wood flooring products harvested from protected lands in Russia's far east.
When reached for comment, a Lumber Liquidators spokesperson said the company does not comment on pending or in-progress litigation.