Simmons Bedding Company LLC has been hit with a lawsuit from a consumer who accused the company of falsely inflating the thread count of their bedding and linens. The lawsuit, filed in a California federal court, alleges that certain Simmons Beautyrest products were deceptively marketed as having a “1,000 thread count” when the number of strands per square inch was actually 216.
The lawsuit, proposed by plaintiff Loriann Staples, claims that Simmons misled consumers into believing they were purchasing a product of higher quality and durability than what was actually being sold. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and other relief, and estimates a potential class size of “hundreds of thousands” of members.
Simmons parent Serta Simmons Bedding LLC, based in Georgia, has yet to comment on the lawsuit. However, the Federal Trade Commission has warned that consumers could be deceived based on variations in industry practices about how to count threads.
In March, Macy’s Inc agreed to settle a similar class action in Ohio federal court for $10.5 million. The case is still pending a fairness hearing in September. Meanwhile, Serta Simmons Bedding filed for bankruptcy protection in January in a bid to eliminate most of its debt.
Plaintiffs’ lawyers have commissioned independent laboratory testing to examine thread count, and the case is ongoing.