Teckton Flooring Class Action: American-Made Claims Challenged

Imagine believing you're buying top-of-the-line American hardwood flooring for your dream home, only to discover it might be coming from halfway across the world. That's the claim in a new class action lawsuit against RW Supply + Design, a company known for its luxury pre-finished engineered wood flooring.

The lawsuit alleges RW Supply + Design, along with Teckton, misled customers by portraying their flooring as American-made. But behind the scenes, the lawsuit claims, the company might be importing from countries with lower quality control standards.

Lawsuit Challenges Teckton Flooring's Claims

Filed by Parvin Arjmandi (trustee of the LAMH Trust), the complaint accuses the flooring company of falsely portraying their products as American-made when, in fact, they are allegedly imported from countries with lower quality control standards.

In July 2023, acting as the trustee, Arjmandi purchased Teckton pre-finished white oak flooring from RW Supply + Design. Before the purchase, the lawsuit alleges, company representatives assured them the flooring was 100% American-made white oak.

In fact, according to the lawsuit, RW Supply + Design cultivates an image of a premium, family-owned American company catering to high-end residential projects. They boast US-based showrooms and operations, even claiming to design and manufacture their own flooring using wood sourced from "Eastern and Midwest forests." Their Teckton brand specifically advertises its pre-finished flooring as Appalachian sourced.

However, Arjmandi argues this image is a facade, claiming that RW Supply + Design actually imports their flooring from countries like Guatemala, Cambodia, and China and fails to disclose this origin to customers. These locations are often associated with lower quality control standards, raising concerns about potential safety issues with the wood flooring, which could contain harmful chemicals.

The complaint further details how RW Supply + Design represents themselves as a domestic manufacturer, highlighting aspects like:

• US-based showrooms and operations
• Claims of designing and manufacturing their own flooring
• Sourcing wood from "Eastern and Midwest forests of the U.S."
• Teckton specifically advertising its pre-finished flooring as Appalachian sourced

These representations, the lawsuit argues, misleads consumers into believing they are purchasing American-made wood flooring.

Arjmandi says that neither RW Supply + Design nor Teckton disclosed the Cambodian or Guatemalan origin of the flooring. He further claims that, had this information been available, the purchase would not have been made.

“As a result of Defendants’ misrepresentation of the Purported White Oak Floor, the Plaintiff had to pay for the Purported White Oak Floor to be removed, for a replacement White Oak floor, and for installation of an actual White Oak floor,” the complaint states.

Profit Over Transparency?

The lawsuit suggests a profit motive behind the alleged misrepresentation. It claims RW Supply + Design previously manufactured flooring in the US but shifted to cheaper imports from China in the early 2000s. This shift, according to the lawsuit, aimed to maximize profits despite potentially compromising safety standards.

“Part of the reason it is cheaper to produce pre-finished engineered flooring in China, is due to the absence of U.S. health and safety regulations meant to protect consumers and the environment,” the case argues.

The lawsuit highlights a 2015 investigation that found formaldehyde levels exceeding safety limits in Chinese-made flooring. It further alleges that RW Supply + Design then switched to even cheaper imports from Cambodia in 2017, potentially to avoid stricter Chinese regulations.

In the wood flooring class action lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking to represent all those who purchased engineered wood flooring from RW Supply + Design and/or Teckton during the relevant legal timeframe. They are suing for financial compensation for the cost of removing the allegedly misrepresented flooring, replacing it with genuine white oak flooring, and the cost of installation.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Parvin Arjmandi as Trustee of the LAMH Trust v. RW Supply and Design, LLC et al
• Case Number: 3:24-cv-00704
• Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

• Mark Hammervold (Hammervold Law)