Jury Rules Against Bigelow in “Made in USA” Tea Lawsuit
Table of Contents
Case Background
Kimberly Banks and Carol Cantwell brought a class action against R.C. Bigelow, Inc., a major U.S. tea company. They claimed Bigelow misled customers by advertising certain tea products as “Manufactured in the USA” and “America’s Classic.” The Plaintiffs said the packaging created the impression the teas were entirely made in the United States, while in reality, all tea leaves came from foreign countries such as Sri Lanka and India.
Both women purchased several Bigelow tea varieties at California retail stores between December 2019 and April 2020. They stated that they relied on the “Made in USA” claims and would have paid less or not purchased at all if they had known the truth. The lawsuit sought damages for themselves and a class of similarly affected California consumers.
Cause
The Plaintiffs alleged that Bigelow’s packaging and marketing violated multiple California consumer protection statutes. They said Bigelow intentionally used misleading “Manufactured in the USA” and “America’s Classic” labels to tap into consumer preference for domestic products.
The complaint listed causes of action for false advertising, unfair competition, violation of the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, breach of express and implied warranty, intentional and negligent misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment.
Injury
Banks and Cantwell claimed they suffered economic injury. They believed they were buying U.S.-manufactured products but instead received teas sourced entirely from foreign-grown leaves. They said the deception caused them to overpay for products worth less than represented.
The class al
Continue Reading This Article
Subscribe to access this article and our entire library of legal content.