Humane Society of the United States files Lawsuit Against Lord & Taylor, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue: Falsely Label Fur Clothing Items

Just as with false advertising in general, failing to properly label clothing items as contacting fur is against the law. More specifically, it is a violation of the federal Fur Products Labeling Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act.

As stated below, “[t]he 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….”

This isn’t the first time this issue has come up. We wrote a story here - http://geari.blogspot.com/2007/01/retail-company-jc-penny-knowingly.html about JC Penny knowingly selling items with dog fur.

In relation, I also wrote a while back on fur and China. Please see that post at:
http://geari.blogspot.com/2006/02/cruel-china-keeps-up-its-status-as.html

Article:

Humane Society sues retailers, designers over fur

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvG9dlIes0vYdnVcKDKSaLUYBLQwD94LLQH00

By GILLIAN GAYNAIR – 21 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Humane Society of the United States filed a lawsuit Monday against six major retailers and fashion designers alleging 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 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 commission 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 mislabeled 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.

Italian Anti-Vivisection League Asks Pope to Stop Wearing Fur

Unfortunately, the Pope’s respect for life stops at humans.

For photos on the horrors of fur see
http://www.atourhands.com/furfarm.html

For additional photos and to learn why fur is so wrong see http://www.furkills.org/furfarming.shtml



Article:

Animal rights group to pope: Stop wearing fur

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=29&ContentID=26059

15th April 2007, 6:45 WST

An Italian animal rights group today asked Pope Benedict XVI to stop wearing fur out of "respect for the sacredness" of animals' lives.

The Italian Anti-Vivisection League said the Pope should not wear a fur hat the Vatican has ordered from a manufacturer in the northern city of Pavia ahead of his visit to a university there on April 22.

"Out of respect for the sacredness of the lives of all living species, we invite the Holy Father to arrive at a choice of high religious and ethical value by giving up fur clothing for that occasion and for the future," the group's vice president, Roberto Bennati, said in a statement.

Benedict XVI, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on Monday, regularly wears clothing with fur, particularly during outdoor ceremonies in the winter.

The animal rights group argued that he should do without fur because "valid alternatives exist that do not call for the murder of animals".

Meanwhile, Vatican officials said today that attendance for events at Saint Peter's Square had declined compared to the first year after the Pope's election.

Since April last year, about 3.4 million people have attended events at Saint Peter's Square, compared to about four million for the previous year since his election.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope on April 19, 2005.

Shirley Manson, Formerly of Band Garbage, Joins Campaign to Educate Where Fur Really Comes From

The image that will be used.

I have to say that this form of campaign in which reality is clearly shown is very much needed. Images to not lie and you cannot contest a real image of a skinned fox. People see the final product of the coat or other article lined with fur and do not see how it got that way. This type of blind ignorance may be comfortable, but it’s not the truth. Seeing where fur really comes from and that yes, it came from a living being is necessary to making informed decisions. I applaud any celebrities that use their power for educating people.

Of course, the fur comes from China where they love to torture dogs. You can read more about that at -

http://geari.blogspot.com/2007/01/sean-diddy-combs-admits-dog-fur-used.html

and

http://geari.blogspot.com/2006/03/crash-course-in-unbelievable-cruelty.html.

For photos on the horrors of fur see http://www.atourhands.com/furfarm.html

For additional photos and to learn why fur is so wrong see http://www.furkills.org/furfarming.shtml

Article:

Garbage singer is latest recruit for Peta's anti-fur ad campaign

http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article2393369.ece

By Andrew JohnsonPublished: 26 March 2007

The cult Scottish rock singer Shirley Manson has become the latest celebrity recruit in the rear-guard action against the re-emergence of fur on the catwalk and on the backs of the world's wealthiest and most famous women.

Manson, who fronted the band Garbage before embarking on a solo career, will be pictured in a hard-hitting ad campaign launched today by the animal rights organisation Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Wearing a Stella McCartney evening gown, Manson holds up a skinned fox over the caption "Here's the rest of your fur coat".

It is a campaign which last month saw the R&B singer Jamelia pictured naked with a white rabbit on her back and which promises many more celebrity shock adverts. Anita Singh of Peta said: "For every celebrity who wears a fur coat, we have 100 lining up who want to use their fame to raise people's awareness."

In December, Madonna was pictured in a £35,000 coat made from the skins of 40 chinchillas and, in February, Naomi Campbell, who once appeared in a Peta advert claiming she would rather go naked than wear fur, took to the catwalk in a fur-trimmed parka.

Designers including Julien Macdonald, Dior and Gucci are also using fur. Harrods and the high street store Joseph are selling fur again. All have contributed to making fur more acceptable than it was when controversy raged a decade ago.

In November, The Independent on Sunday revealed sales of fur clothing hit £500m for the first time, up 30 per cent on the previous two years, with £40m of new fur products imported every year.

Figures from HM Customs and Revenue showed almost one million tons of fur were imported each year - and the global market for fur has hit almost £7bn. But the backlash has been equally fierce, and effective. During British fashion week anti-fur campaigners pelted Julien Macdonald with flour on the opening night.

The designer Tommy Hilfiger announced at the weekend he was joining Calvin Klein in refusing to use fur. Prada is also said to be "bored"with fur and has not used any in this year's collection.