Consumers suing R.C. Bigelow Inc. over its “Manufactured in the USA 100% American Family Owned” tea label should get class status for most claims, a magistrate judge recommended, Bloomberg Law reported on February 17, 2025.
The recommendation
- Magistrate Judge Steven I. Locke issued the recommendation on Feb. 14, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
- He recommended two classes of consumers, grouped by type of tea, for consumer protection claims.
- The buyers say the label is false because part of the process, harvesting the tea leaves, happens outside the USA.
Why it matters for Made in USA
Tea cannot be grown at scale in most of the USA, so the case tests how a brand can describe domestic blending and packing. The case later went to trial; see our April 2025 report on the jury verdict.
FAQ
Which court?
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
What is the claim?
That “Manufactured in the USA” misleads buyers because the tea leaves are grown abroad.
Was class status final?
It was a magistrate judge’s recommendation to the district judge.
Source & credit
Source: Bloomberg Law, February 17, 2025: “Bigelow Tea Buyers Get Class Status in USA-Made Deception Suit”, by Shweta Watwe.