The Department of Justice announced on Friday that Williams-Sonoma, a popular cookware company, has agreed to pay a $3.1 million civil penalty and cease making false and misleading claims about the origins of its products. This settlement comes in response to a federal court complaint filed against the company.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the company was found guilty of misrepresenting its products as “Made in the USA” despite the fact that they were either fully imported or contained a significant amount of imported content.
The home products were available for purchase at various renowned retailers including Williams Sonoma Home, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, PBTeen, West Elm, and Rejuvenation.
“According to Brian M. Boynton, head of the DOJ Civil Division, Williams-Sonoma deceived consumers by promoting products as being made in the USA, despite the fact that at least one of them was actually manufactured in China. He emphasized the commitment to collaborate with the FTC in order to put an end to deceptive marketing strategies such as this.”
According to the DOJ, Williams-Sonoma violated the FTC Act and the Made in USA Rule.
FTC Chair Lina M. Khan issued a statement expressing her concerns over Williams-Sonoma’s misleading claims about their products being made in the United States, when in fact they were manufactured in China. Khan emphasized that such deception not only misleads consumers but also negatively impacts honest American businesses. The significant civil penalty imposed on Williams-Sonoma sends a strong message that companies engaging in Made-in-USA fraud will face consequences and will not be exempt from accountability.
The company has been ordered to pay a civil penalty of $3,175,387 as part of the settlement. Additionally, Williams-Sonoma is prohibited from making any misleading or unsubstantiated claims about the country of origin. The settlement also includes obligations for the company to maintain records and report on their compliance in the future.
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