A Utah-based company that sells conservative-themed printed apparel falsely claimed that its clothing was Made in the USA and now must pay a six-figure fine and notify customers that it lied about the where its products were produced.
Lions Not Sheep and its owner, Sean Whalen, must pay $211,335 for removing clothing tags and replacing them with phony Made in USA labels, according to a recently finalized order from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The case is a potential cautionary tale for companies in the promotional products/apparel-decorating industry that want to make Made in USA claims about items they sell.
Beyond paying the fine, Whalen and Lions Not Sheep must stop making bogus Made in USA claims and come clean about products being produced in China and other countries.
As part of that, Whalen/Lions Not Sheep must notify customers by mail or email that the products they purchased were not actually produced in the United States. Particularly, the FTC ordered that Whalen and co. tell clients in writing that the FTC has “sued us for making false claims” and that “although we screen(print) or embroider products in the USA, many of the items we sell are imported.”
Lions Not Sheep sells its own line of decorated T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets and sweaters on its website, as well as through Amazon and Etsy.
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