Block & Leviton LLP, Hausfeld LLP, and Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. Filed a Consumer Class Action Complaint Against Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. Over Illegal Chinese Wood Flooring Products

BOSTON, Dec. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Block & Leviton LLP (www.blockesq.com), Hausfeld LLP (www.hausfeldllp.com) and Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. (www.gelaw.com), three of the most prominent class action firms in the United States, announce that they filed a class action complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ("Lumber Liquidators" or the "Company") (NYSE: LL).  The case is captioned Williamson, et al. v. Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc., Case No. 1:13-cv-1487 (E.D.Va.).   The class action complaint alleges that Lumber Liquidators sold products to consumers in violation of federal and state laws. 

More specifically, the lawsuit arises out of Lumber Liquidators' scheme to import into the United States, and to falsely warrant, advertise, and sell, Chinese wood flooring that fails to comply with the formaldehyde standards and the Lacey Act. 

Contrary to its direct representations to consumers, Lumber Liquidators manufactures, sells, and distributes Chinese wood flooring that emits and off-gasses excessive levels of formaldehyde, which is categorized as a known human carcinogen by the United States National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.  Although Lumber Liquidators made repeated, detailed representations that its flooring complies with strict formaldehyde standards, the lawsuit alleges that the toxic formaldehyde emissions from the Company's Chinese wood flooring products are well above the maximum permissible limits set by those standards at the time of purchase. 

Moreover, the lawsuit alleges that, contrary to its direct representations to consumers, Lumber Liquidators also manufactures, sells, and distributes wood flooring that is illegally sourced through China from other countries (including Russia), threatening critical habitat and endangered species, in violation of the Lacey Act.  Lumber Liquidators' repeated violations of the Lacey Act are detailed in a report entitled "Liquidating the Forests," released by the Environmental Investigation Agency in October 2013. 

Block & Leviton initially announced an investigation into Lumber Liquidators on June 26, 2013.  Thereafter, on September 26, 2013, the Company's headquarters in Toano, Virginia and another corporate location in neighboring Richmond, Virginia, were raided by United States Federal Special Agents acting on behalf of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations unit, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Justice.  According to various news sources, the raid seized evidence that Lumber Liquidators is importing wood products harvested from forests in eastern Russia (which are then processed across the border in China) that are the habitat of critically endangered wildlife species, including the Siberian tiger, of which there are an estimated 450 remaining in the world.

Following the filing of the lawsuit, attorney Jason M. Leviton stated:  "Lumber Liquidators' egregious misconduct was a breach of their express and implied warranties and has caused significant harm to purchasers of the Company's Chinese-sourced wood flooring products.  Quite simply, consumers would not have purchased, or would have paid substantially less for, products that contain toxic levels of formaldehyde or that were sourced illegally from critical habitats, both of which were done in violation of federal and state laws.  We will do everything in our power to make sure this conduct ceases and that consumers are adequately compensated for the damages they sustained resulting from Lumber Liquidators' improper conduct."

If you would like a copy of the complaint, please visit Block & Leviton's website at www.blockesq.com.  Or, if have information relevant to the lawsuit, or would like to discuss your legal rights, consumers who have purchased Lumber Liquidators' Chinese wood flooring products are encouraged to contact one or more of the following attorneys:

Steven P. Harte, Esq.
Block & Leviton LLP
[email protected]
(617) 398-5600

James J. Pizzirusso, Esq.
Hausfeld LLP
[email protected]
(202) 540-7200

Adam J. Levitt, Esq.
Grant & Eisenhofer P.A.
[email protected]
(312) 214-0000

Contact:

BLOCK & LEVITON LLP
Jason M. Leviton Esq.
Steven Harte, Esq.
(617) 398-5600
[email protected]
[email protected]

SOURCE Block & Leviton LLP

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