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The DOJ said Friday that Williams-Sonoma will salary complete $3.1 cardinal successful civilian penalties for falsely labeling immoderate of its products "Made successful USA" erstwhile they were imported. FTC Chair Lina Khan (pictured successful 2023) said that FTC Act usurpation "misled consumers" and wounded American businesses. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo
April 26 (UPI) -- The Department of Justice said Friday that cookware institution Williams-Sonoma will salary a $3.1 cardinal civilian punishment and extremity making mendacious and misleading claims astir nan origins of its products to settee a national tribunal complaint.
The DOJ said nan institution falsely branded products "Made successful nan USA" erstwhile they were really wholly imported aliases contained important imported content.
The location products were sold done Williams Sonoma Home, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, PBTeen, West Elm and Rejuvenation.
"Williams-Sonoma misled consumers by touting products arsenic made successful nan USA erstwhile astatine slightest 1 of them was made successful China," DOJ Civil Division caput Brian M. Boynton said successful a statement. "We will proceed to activity pinch nan FTC to extremity deceptive trading practices for illustration this."
Williams-Sonoma's actions were violations of nan FTC Act and nan Made successful USA Rule, according to nan DOJ.
FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said successful a statement, "Williams-Sonoma claimed its products were made successful nan United States moreover though they were made successful China. Williams-Sonoma's deception misled consumers and harmed honorable American businesses. Today's record-setting civilian punishment makes clear that firms committing Made-in-USA fraud will not get a free pass."
The colony imposes a $3,175,387 civilian punishment connected nan institution and enjoins Williams-Sonoma from "making misleading aliases unsubstantiated country-of-origin claims and includes grounds keeping and reporting obligations to guarantee nan company's early compliance."
