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Update:
- A class action lawsuit alleging Canada Goose misled consumers by claiming its fur was ethically sourced has been dismissed.
- In a joint filing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Apr. 27, counsels for plaintiff George Lee and Canada Goose alerted the court that they’d voluntarily dismissed the case, The Fashion Law reports.
- In his lawsuit, Lee alleged Canada Goose violated federal warranty laws and state consumer laws by claiming in its marketing that it’s committed to “ethical, responsible and sustainable sourcing” when in fact its suppliers use leg traps and neck snares that “cause strangulation and broken bones to coyotes and other animals who are inadvertently trapped and discarded.”
- The case was dismissed with prejudice and Canada Goose made no payment to settle the case.
(July 7, 2022)
A Canadian clothing company known for making winter coats with coyote fur can’t escape a class action lawsuit alleging that it misled consumers by claiming its fur was ethically sourced, a New York federal judge has ruled.
In an order Tuesday, June 29, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero said Plaintiff George Lee’s class action lawsuit against Canada Goose could go ahead, despite the company’s attempts to have it dismissed as “subjective views,” Law360 reported.
In his lawsuit, Lee alleges Canada Goose violated federal warranty laws and state consumer laws by claiming in its marketing that it’s committed to “ethical, responsible and sustainable sourcing,” when in fact its suppliers use leg traps and neck snares that “cause strangulation and broken bones to coyotes and other animals who are inadvertently trapped and discarded.”
He claims that fur trim included in Canada Goose products comes from trappers in places where there are no laws and regulations regarding the slaughter of trapped animals.
However, the company says that its fur suppliers are strictly regulated and its fur comes from ethical and sustainable sources. Lee alleges Canada Goose made the misleading claims to make its products appeal to eco-friendly consumers.
In his complaint, filed in 2020, he alleges Canada Goose “attempts to cultivate an image that its fur products are sourced using humane, sustainable, and ethical practices, when in fact they are not.”
On Tuesday, Judge Marreo said in his order that Lee had made a plausible argument, saying that his allegations support a “reasonable inference” that Canada Goose gets its fur from trappers whose methods are inhumane, despite making an outwards commitment to ethical fur sourcing.
“Plaintiff alleges that reasonable consumers consider ‘animal welfare’ to be an important factor in whether a product is ‘ethically produced,’ and that consumer-perception research indicates that terms such as ‘sustainably produced’ are perceived as signaling compliance with ‘higher animal welfare standards,'” he said.
“These allegations are enough to establish at the pleading stage” that unsophisticated customers might be persuaded to act on the basis of the company’s statements.”
Lee also said Canada Goose products come with a tag saying its supply chain visibility ensured its fur was sourced in accordance with international trapping standards. However, he said the trapping methods its suppliers use have been banned as inhumane in several states across the United States.
This is not the first time Canada Goose has been accused of making false claims about ethical sourcing.
In 2019, PETA filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Graphic film footage taken at one of Canada Goose’s down suppliers showed geese being grabbed and carried by their necks and piled on top of one another in pens, being deprived of food and water and forced to watch as other geese were being slaughtered.
Have you purchased a Canada Goose product with fur? What do you think of the class action allegations? Tell us in the comment section below!
George Lee is represented by Jay Russell Shooster and Kim E. Richman of Richman Law Group, and Samuel J. Strauss of Truke & Strauss LLP.
The Canada Goose Misleading Claims Class Action Lawsuit is Lee et al. v. Canada Goose Inc., Case No. 1:20-cv-09809, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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13 thoughts onCanada Goose Class Action Over ‘Ethical’ Fur Sourcing Settled Out of Court
How do WE SIGN UP FOR THIS CLASS ACTION ?
I DO NOT SEE ANY LINKS FOR SIGNING UP FOR A CLASS ACTION RE CANADA GOOSE.
PLEASE KINDLY REPLY TO US ABOUT THIS CLASSACTION .
JEN
I have purchased Canada Goose jackets with fur and feel Canada Goose has deceived me into believing the fur was attained humanely and not from cruel means. Learning this is not the case maked me feel Canada goose only values profit. I will not buy from Canada Goose again based on Peta’s findings.
Yes, I was gifted a Canada Goose winter parka, do not wear the fur either…
4 coats gone to total waste, this is diusgustingly gross and indecent, there should be criminal charges and the company dismantled immediately….
when I found out Canada Goose used trapper with outdate trapping methods that was inhumane I’ve stopped wearing and buying Canada goose coats and beside people were tagging me on the streets for wearing fur that made me felt uncomfortable.
I have owned 2, i removed the fur because I thought It was inhuman to have fur around your face that wasn’t ethically hunted /trapped .
I had read articles of people being upset.
Jackets are expensive and they need to stand behind their product
Count me in I bought coats for the entire family last year and have since donated them out of disgust of the company. 5 coats what a waste.
I had a Canada goose coat, it was beautiful until I learned about the fur around the hood near my face – how it’s obtained – it’s disgusting – it’s like a horror story we hear of other countries that harm cats and dogs! Canada Goose must have dead head people in management -flunky’s heartless management – how can they be apart of trapping killing being inhuman not human not normal. I have 2 coats – with the same type fur around the hood of the coat- they are a bad sign – shouldn’t be worn by anyone.
I was so excited when I got a Canada Goose parka for Christmas. It was warm and cozy. Being indigenous, I felt connected, and a certain pride of owning a real Canada Goose parka. I did like the coyote fir around my face. Until, I read about the horrible trapping measures used to obtain the fir. I’m disgusted and disappointed in the lies this company stated. Inhumane barely touches what was reported. I promptly placed an ad on a local buy and sold it. Yes, I want to be a part of this class action lawsuit.
I would never purchase from this company because of their poor treatment of employees and disregard of ESA and human rights. It’s not just animals that they have no regard for.