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gayathri · Dec 3rd, 2008, 08:37 PM

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...CjKiwD94LLEGG1

The Humane Society of the United States filed a lawsuit Monday against six major retailers and fashion designers alleging that they falsely advertise and label fur garments.The suit claims that Dillard's, Lord & Taylor, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and designer Andrew Marc misrepresent fur products by labeling and marketing them as "faux fur," when they are not; or by advertising and labeling products as common raccoon, fox or rabbit fur, when they are really made from raccoon dog, a canine species from Asia.
The complaint also alleges that the retailers are in violation of the federal Fur Products Labeling Act and Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibit mislabeling of fur products.
Rebecca Judd, senior attorney with the Humane Society, said the group is seeking a court order to halt to what she called deceptive business practices by retailers.
"We filed this after we tried now for several years to have the fur industry stop their widespread false advertising and labeling," Judd said.
She added that the group wants to alert consumers, especially those concerned about animal welfare, that fur garments are "best left out of the shopping bag."
Representatives from Macy's and Neiman Marcus said they don't comment on pending litigation. Dillard's, Lord & Taylor and Andrew Marc did not return telephone calls for comment. A representative from Saks could not be immediately reached by The Associated Press after calls seeking comment.
Judd said the suit was filed in D.C. under its Consumer Protection Procedures Act because the Humane Society focused much of its investigation in the Washington region. All the retailers named in the suit have stores in the area. Andrew Marc sells his brands online and in retail stores around Washington.
Since it began investigating in 2005, Judd said the Humane Society has sent dozens of letters to retailers — including those named in Monday's suit — informing them of their findings.
Some companies, including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger stopped selling fur products, Judd said. Others, such as rap artist Sean "Diddy" Combs, quit producing coats from his Sean John line that had raccoon dog fur; and rapper Jay-Z pulled coats with raccoon dog from his Rocawear label.
Raccoon dogs resemble oversized, fluffy raccoons and aren't kept as pets. According to the suit, more than 1.5 million of them are being raised for their fur in China, and have been documented to be skinned alive. Importing raccoon dog fur isn't illegal.
The Humane Society never received a "written commitment to stop selling mislabeled fur" from the six defendants after alerting them to the group's findings, Judd said.
The defendants are also among more than 20 companies named in two legal petitions the Humane Society filed earlier this year and in 2007 with the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces the federal fur labeling act.
In the petitions, the animal rights group ask the FTC to fine the high-end retailers and designers of clothing that contains mislabeled fur. The group also would like inventories seized and, possibly, charges filed.
In 2007, Charles Jayson, chief executive of Andrew Marc, disputed the Humane Society and insisted in a statement that all fur on his coats labeled as raccoon contains "only farm-bred raccoon fur from Finland, and our items labeled 'faux fur' are a 100 percent synthetic fabric."
Mislabeling fur is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $5,000 fine or a year in prison. Fur valued at less than $150 doesn't have to be labeled.
The petitions are still pending.
The Humane Society said it began investigating mislabled fur claims after the society got a tip from someone who bought a coat with trim labeled as faux fur that felt real. At the time, teams bought coats from popular retailers and then had the coats tested by mass spectrometry, which measures the mass and sequence of proteins.
The society said most of the fur came from China.

he432 · Dec 3rd, 2008, 09:40 PM

OMG that's scary, I'm going to check my winter coats now.

me_love_purse · Dec 3rd, 2008, 09:45 PM

i know that they make cheap fur coats from these racoon dogs who are mistreated in china.
But it is very shady of them to label the items as faux fur.

MissTiss · Dec 4th, 2008, 04:05 PM

oh, yuck!

ayla · Dec 4th, 2008, 04:10 PM

GOOD - there are only a few cases where I am glad that the US has more lax rules on cost sharing, and this is one of them !

edanna · Dec 5th, 2008, 04:12 AM

LegacyGirl · Dec 5th, 2008, 08:25 AM

He's so cute!

junebug35 · Dec 5th, 2008, 11:07 AM

How can people be so cruel....

NYCBelle · Dec 5th, 2008, 11:26 AM

ohhh noooo!!!

dolllover · Dec 5th, 2008, 11:33 AM

It's disgusting how these animals are treated. I've been leary about buying anything trimed in fur.

caitlin1214 · Dec 6th, 2008, 12:37 AM

To me, this is just as bad as labelling a soup as vegetarian when there's chicken broth in it.

Here's an article on how to check if your faux fur is really faux:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008...m-faux-fur.php

he432 · Dec 6th, 2008, 01:32 AM

^^ thanks caitlin!

dr. twiggers · Dec 6th, 2008, 04:38 PM

WOW.....that is crazy...especially with the faux fur thing. Poor little animals.

LV-PRADAfanatic · Dec 6th, 2008, 07:58 PM

i hope justice get served

LegacyGirl · Dec 8th, 2008, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by dolllover

It's disgusting how these animals are treated. I've been leary about buying anything trimed in fur.

Yeah I don't buy faux fur at all.

Dec 3rd, 2008, 08:37 PM	#1
gayathri OP Member Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 575	Humane Society sues retailers and designers over mislabeling dog fur http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...CjKiwD94LLEGG1 The Humane Society of the United States filed a lawsuit Monday against six major retailers and fashion designers alleging that they falsely advertise and label fur garments.The suit claims that Dillard's, Lord & Taylor, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and designer Andrew Marc misrepresent fur products by labeling and marketing them as "faux fur," when they are not; or by advertising and labeling products as common raccoon, fox or rabbit fur, when they are really made from raccoon dog, a canine species from Asia. The complaint also alleges that the retailers are in violation of the federal Fur Products Labeling Act and Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibit mislabeling of fur products. Rebecca Judd, senior attorney with the Humane Society, said the group is seeking a court order to halt to what she called deceptive business practices by retailers. "We filed this after we tried now for several years to have the fur industry stop their widespread false advertising and labeling," Judd said. She added that the group wants to alert consumers, especially those concerned about animal welfare, that fur garments are "best left out of the shopping bag." Representatives from Macy's and Neiman Marcus said they don't comment on pending litigation. Dillard's, Lord & Taylor and Andrew Marc did not return telephone calls for comment. A representative from Saks could not be immediately reached by The Associated Press after calls seeking comment. Judd said the suit was filed in D.C. under its Consumer Protection Procedures Act because the Humane Society focused much of its investigation in the Washington region. All the retailers named in the suit have stores in the area. Andrew Marc sells his brands online and in retail stores around Washington. Since it began investigating in 2005, Judd said the Humane Society has sent dozens of letters to retailers — including those named in Monday's suit — informing them of their findings. Some companies, including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger stopped selling fur products, Judd said. Others, such as rap artist Sean "Diddy" Combs, quit producing coats from his Sean John line that had raccoon dog fur; and rapper Jay-Z pulled coats with raccoon dog from his Rocawear label. Raccoon dogs resemble oversized, fluffy raccoons and aren't kept as pets. According to the suit, more than 1.5 million of them are being raised for their fur in China, and have been documented to be skinned alive. Importing raccoon dog fur isn't illegal. The Humane Society never received a "written commitment to stop selling mislabeled fur" from the six defendants after alerting them to the group's findings, Judd said. The defendants are also among more than 20 companies named in two legal petitions the Humane Society filed earlier this year and in 2007 with the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces the federal fur labeling act. In the petitions, the animal rights group ask the FTC to fine the high-end retailers and designers of clothing that contains mislabeled fur. The group also would like inventories seized and, possibly, charges filed. In 2007, Charles Jayson, chief executive of Andrew Marc, disputed the Humane Society and insisted in a statement that all fur on his coats labeled as raccoon contains "only farm-bred raccoon fur from Finland, and our items labeled 'faux fur' are a 100 percent synthetic fabric." Mislabeling fur is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $5,000 fine or a year in prison. Fur valued at less than $150 doesn't have to be labeled. The petitions are still pending. The Humane Society said it began investigating mislabled fur claims after the society got a tip from someone who bought a coat with trim labeled as faux fur that felt real. At the time, teams bought coats from popular retailers and then had the coats tested by mass spectrometry, which measures the mass and sequence of proteins. The society said most of the fur came from China.
gayathri OP Member Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 575

Dec 3rd, 2008, 09:40 PM	#2
he432 sofa king awesome Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 1,104	OMG that's scary, I'm going to check my winter coats now.
he432 sofa king awesome Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 1,104	__________________ R.I.P. Goobler July 18, 2008

Dec 3rd, 2008, 09:45 PM	#3
me_love_purse swift convert Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 4,458	i know that they make cheap fur coats from these racoon dogs who are mistreated in china. But it is very shady of them to label the items as faux fur.
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Dec 4th, 2008, 04:05 PM	#4
MissTiss MACoholic Joined: Mar 2007 Location: The Beauty Bar - Where Else? Posts: 4,612	oh, yuck!
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Dec 4th, 2008, 04:10 PM	#5
ayla Gangsta Luv♥ Joined: Oct 2005 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 21,244	GOOD - there are only a few cases where I am glad that the US has more lax rules on cost sharing, and this is one of them !
	__________________ It's here ! My much grown collection !

Dec 5th, 2008, 04:12 AM	#6
edanna ~One Wild Night~ Joined: Apr 2008 Posts: 915
edanna ~One Wild Night~ Joined: Apr 2008 Posts: 915

Dec 5th, 2008, 08:25 AM	#7
LegacyGirl I ♥ Chuck Bass Joined: Mar 2008 Location: Candy Mountain Posts: 1,890	He's so cute!
	__________________ ATTENTION: I AM BANNED BANNED BANNED FROM BUYING ANYTHING* UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. IF YOU SEE ME ATTEMPTING TO BUY SOMETHING YELL AT ME. *Bras excluded Come check out my collection on Flicker!!

Dec 5th, 2008, 11:07 AM	#8
junebug35 Member Joined: Oct 2008 Location: Tennessee Posts: 410	How can people be so cruel....
	__________________ Junebug35 Help Stop Animal Cruelty Desperate for a Coach "Gemini" keyfob

Dec 5th, 2008, 11:26 AM	#9
NYCBelle Yahtzee anyone?? Joined: Oct 2006 Location: 57th & 5th Ave Posts: 5,531	ohhh noooo!!!
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Dec 5th, 2008, 11:33 AM	#10
dolllover Member Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,616	It's disgusting how these animals are treated. I've been leary about buying anything trimed in fur.
dolllover Member Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,616

Dec 6th, 2008, 12:37 AM	#11
caitlin1214 You just got slapped Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada (Eh?) Posts: 22,411	To me, this is just as bad as labelling a soup as vegetarian when there's chicken broth in it. Here's an article on how to check if your faux fur is really faux: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008...m-faux-fur.php
	__________________ If we could take the time To lay it on the line I could rest my head Just knowin' that you were mine November Rain - Guns N' Roses

Dec 6th, 2008, 01:32 AM	#12
he432 sofa king awesome Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 1,104	^^ thanks caitlin!
he432 sofa king awesome Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 1,104	__________________ R.I.P. Goobler July 18, 2008

Dec 6th, 2008, 04:38 PM	#13
dr. twiggers Finally Done! Joined: May 2006 Location: The Library Posts: 21,849	WOW.....that is crazy...especially with the faux fur thing. Poor little animals.
	__________________ November Goals: 1. Get credit card to $4500 (or less) - done! 2. Add $500 to emergency fund - added $600! 3. Add $500 to vacation fund - done! 4. Stay under grocery budget - not going so well

Dec 6th, 2008, 07:58 PM	#14
LV-PRADAfanatic Built Hot for LV Joined: Oct 2007 Location: That's ME ^_^ Posts: 14,657	i hope justice get served
	__________________ All so LoVely, so little time to get them all

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