A rising number of lawsuits accuse household brands of misleading consumers when they said their products were made in the United States.
Thirteen proposed class-action suits over “Made in U.S.A.” claims have been filed so far this year, compared with seven in 2024 as a whole, according to consumer advocacy group Truth in Advertising. It’s already the largest annual case total since at least 2011, the first year tracked by the group.
The litigation is being driven largely by one law firm that saw President Trump’s re-election as a green light.
“One of the platforms the administration was running on was how important American-made things are,” said Abbas Kazerounian, founding partner at Kazerouni Law Group of Costa Mesa, Calif., which filed 10 of this year’s new made-in-America lawsuits, up from one last year. “So the American public has out and out said, ‘This is something that’s important to us.’ ”
The firm’s complaints allege that popular brands took advantage of that sentiment to improperly attract sales or justify higher prices. Defendants include Goya Foods, Procter & Gamble’s Mielle Organics hair care, Pure Leaf Teas from PepsiCo and Unilever, French’s Mustard maker McCormick and Co., and men’s toiletries brand Dude Wipes.
Some companies have quickly amended recent ads to avoid legal risk.
Stellantis, maker of Jeep and Ram vehicles, in April responded to a letter from Truth in Advertising by revising a new ad campaign to avoid saying its vehicles are “built” in America, because they contain imported parts.
Enforcing “Made in America” standards is necessary to protect consumers, according to Stephen Kent, media director of free market advocacy group Consumer Choice Center. But some of the focus on terms like “built,” “assembled” and “manufactured” puts too much stock in choosing among words with similar and overlapping meanings, he said. “It gets into PR and marketing word games,” Kent said.