Wal-Mart ripped over counterfeit luxury sheets
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A woman who thought she was buying high-quality bed linens at Wal-Mart is now suing the retailer over its “100% Egyptian cotton” sheets, which she says the retailer knew might have been counterfeit, according to the suit.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in a U.S. District Court in Manhattan and proposes a class action against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. after it sold falsely labeled sheets for several years after becoming suspicious of its supplier in India. After 2008, Target Corp. stopped selling bed sheets from the same textiles supplier over the mislabeling of them as Egyptian cotton, according to the lawsuit.
Egyptian cotton remains a favorite, as it is usually deemed softer than other cotton bed sheets. Typically, they are considered a luxury.
That’s what prompted the sole plaintiff, Dorothy Monahan of Michigan, to buy them. In the lawsuit, she claims she overpaid for her sheets, thinking they were better than the cheaper options.
She accused the country’s largest retailer of violating U.S. laws governing textile fiber labeling and advertising. She is seeking undisclosed damages for everyone who has bought bed linens at Wal-Mart made by Welspun and labeled "100% Egyptian Cotton."
A Wal-Mart spokesman told Business Insider that the retailer “removed such products after conducting a comprehensive review nearly two months ago and since then has offered customers a full refund.”
