Lumber​ ​Liquidators​ ​$36​ ​Million​ ​Settlement​ ​for​ ​Safety​ ​&​ ​Quality​ ​of Laminate​ ​Flooring

A​ ​$36​ ​million​ ​settlement​ ​over​ ​the​ ​safety​ ​and​ ​quality​ ​of​ ​Chinese-made​ ​flooring​ ​was​ ​recently agreed​ ​upon​ ​by​ ​Lumber​ ​Liquidators.​ ​Plaintiffs​ ​involved​ ​in​ ​the​ ​settlement​ ​allege​ ​that​ ​Lumber Liquidators​ ​sold​ ​laminate​ ​flooring​ ​made​ ​with​ ​large​ ​amounts​ ​of​ ​formaldehyde​ ​and​ ​also​ ​of extremely​ ​poor​ ​quality.​ ​Lumber​ ​Liquidators​ ​is​ ​a​ ​chain​ ​store​ ​that​ ​carries​ ​a​ ​wide​ ​range​ ​of​ ​flooring, including​ ​laminate,​ ​hardwood,​ ​and​ ​bamboo.

Lawsuits​ ​increased​ ​after​ ​60​ ​Minutes​ ​aired​ ​an​ ​episode​ ​in​ ​March​ ​2015​ ​that​ ​exposed​ ​laminate flooring​ ​made​ ​in​ ​China​ ​contained​ ​up​ ​to​ ​6​ ​-​ ​7​ ​times​ ​the​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​formaldehyde​ ​allowed​ ​by​ ​US law.​ ​Formaldehyde​ ​is​ ​known​ ​to​ ​cause​ ​cancer.​ ​Levels​ ​of​ ​high​ ​exposure​ ​can​ ​cause​ ​symptoms such​ ​as​ ​nausea,​ ​headaches,​ ​and​ ​irritation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​eyes​ ​and​ ​throat.

Plaintiffs​ ​also​ ​challenged​ ​the​ ​poor​ ​quality​ ​of​ ​the​ ​flooring,​ ​stating​ ​that​ ​Lumber​ ​Liquidators marketed​ ​the​ ​flooring​ ​as​ ​more​ ​lasting​ ​and​ ​reliable​ ​than​ ​was​ ​found​ ​once​ ​installed.​ ​It’s​ ​estimated that​ ​more​ ​than​ ​700,000​ ​consumers​ ​purchased​ ​the​ ​laminate​ ​flooring​ ​in​ ​question​ ​between January​ ​2009​ ​-​ ​March​ ​2015.

The​ ​company​ ​announced​ ​in​ ​a​ ​press​ ​release​ ​(October​ ​24,​ ​2017)​ ​they​ ​had​ ​signed​ ​a

“memorandum​ ​of​ ​understanding”​ ​in​ ​regards​ ​to​ ​the​ ​formaldehyde​ ​and​ ​durability​ ​multidistrict litigations.​ ​The​ ​company​ ​also​ ​notes​ ​that​ ​this​ ​settlement​ ​does​ ​not​ ​mean​ ​they​ ​are​ ​accepting liability​ ​for​ ​the​ ​safety​ ​and​ ​quality​ ​of​ ​the​ ​flooring.​ ​They​ ​did​ ​discontinue​ ​sales​ ​of​ ​the​ ​flooring​ ​out​ ​of caution​ ​in​ ​May​ ​2015.

There​ ​were​ ​3​ ​Class​ ​Action​ ​Lawsuits​ ​filed:

Lumber​ ​Liquidators​ ​Class​ ​Action​ ​Lawsuit​ ​-​ ​Ruiz​ ​v.​ ​Lumber​ ​Liquidators​ ​Holdings​ ​Inc​ ​-​ ​Case​ ​No. 1:15-cv-02745

Lumber​ ​Liquidators​ ​Formaldehyde​ ​MDL​ ​-​ ​Lumber​ ​Liquidators​ ​Chinese-Manufactured​ ​Flooring Products​ ​Marketing,​ ​Sales​ ​Practices​ ​and​ ​Products​ ​Liability​ ​Litigation​ ​-​ ​MDL​ ​No.​ ​2627

Lumber​ ​Liquidators​ ​Durability​ ​MDL​ ​-​ ​Lumber​ ​Liquidators​ ​Chinese-Manufactured​ ​Flooring Durability​ ​Marketing​ ​and​ ​Sales​ ​Practices​ ​Litigation​ ​-​ ​MDL​ ​No.​ ​2743

Lumber​ ​Liquidators​ ​will​ ​pay​ ​up​ ​to​ ​$22​ ​million​ ​in​ ​cash,​ ​and​ ​$14​ ​million​ ​as​ ​store​ ​credit​ ​vouchers, to​ ​those​ ​who​ ​qualify​ ​according​ ​to​ ​the​ ​terms​ ​of​ ​the​ ​settlement.