The maker of the massively popular Stanley cups is facing multiple lawsuits over the use of lead in its products

• Customers are suing the company that owns Stanley over its viral cups.
• In two class action lawsuits, plaintiffs said Stanley did not disclose that its cups contain lead.
• The company said that "no lead is present on the surface of any Stanley product."

Customers concerned by recent reports that Stanley cups contain lead are taking legal action against the parent company behind the viral product.

In recent weeks, two customers filed class action lawsuits against Stanley's parent company, Pacific Market International, in a Washington State district court. Business Insider reviewed both complaints, one of which was filed on behalf of plaintiff Mariana Franzetti on February 12 and the other on behalf of Robin Krohn on February 14.

The consumers said PMI withheld information that would have impacted their decisions to buy Stanley products in the first place. Specifically, the complaints say the company should have advertised to customers that its cups contain lead.

Stanley has previously stated its cups are safe for use, and the company said in a statement to USA Today on Tuesday that it would "vigorously defend itself against meritless claims," reiterating that the surface of its product contains no lead.

PMI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The plaintiffs say Stanley's parent company withheld information from consumers

Franzetti, who purchased a Stanley cup for $35 in March 2023, said in her complaint that it was now "essentially worthless" to her because it contained "lead, a highly toxic metal."

"Plaintiff can no longer trust using this product safely for fear of lead exposure to her and her family," the complaint read.

It went on to say that PMI did not disclose that the company used materials with lead to make the product, and it should not have fallen on customers to assume the "toxic metal" was in the company's products.

Franzetti told BI on Thursday that she would not have bought a Stanley cup if she had known more about the manufacturing process.

"I would never have purchased a Stanley cup had I known there was lead inside, and I think it was disingenuous that Stanley did not disclose this information to consumers from the get-go," she said.

Krohn's complaint was similar, saying that she would have either not bought a Stanley cup from Dick's Clothing & Sporting Store in December 2022 or not paid as much as she did for the product if she knew there was lead in it. Her complaint did not specify how much she paid for her Stanley cup.

"Plaintiff was injured by paying a substantial premium for the Stanley cup whose value was less than what she paid for based on the presence of the alleged lead," Krohn's complaint read.

Krohn's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Both consumers are seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

Social media drew attention to lead in Stanley cups

Concern about lead in Stanley cups became widespread at the end of January when several TikTokers posted videos of themselves home-testing their water bottles for the substance.

In a statement on its website posted January 24, Stanley said it used an "industry standard pellet" to seal its cups, and the pellets contain some lead. But the cups are then covered by stainless steel, making the lead inaccessible to the user and therefore safe, according to the company.

"Rest assured that no lead is present on the surface of any Stanley product that comes into contact with the consumer nor the contents of the product," the statement said. "In the rare occurrence the base cap of a product comes off due to ordinary use and exposes this seal, it is eligible for our Lifetime Warranty."

Although lead is dangerous to humans, public health experts have said that Stanley cups likely don't pose a threat. Jack Caravanos, an environmental health professor, told The Washington Post he "could not find lead anywhere where it could pose a human health exposure risk" when he conducted his own tests on the products.

But Franzetti and Krohn said PMI should have been more forthcoming about the lead in its products.

In her complaint, Franzetti pointed to Stanley's warranty policy, which says its products are "warranted to be free from defects in material" and that "the presence of lead in the design and manufacture of these products would reasonably be considered a defect in material."

Both Franzetti and Krohn's complaints also say that Stanley's competitors, like Hydro Flask and Owala, do not use lead in their manufacturing process. Hydro Flask's website says it stopped using lead in 2012 after it "pioneered an alternative sealing process" for its bottles, while Owala's site says it never used lead to seal its bottles, instead employing an "innovative, lead-free solder."

Despite the controversy around the traces of lead in its products and the recent lawsuits, Stanley cups remain popular.

People ran to Target in droves when Stanley released a limited collection with the retailer for Valentine's Day; there are dedicated collectors of the cups who own dozens of Stanley products; and the company had $750 million in annual sales in 2023, according to CNBC.

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By: [email protected] (Samantha Grindell)
Title: The maker of the massively popular Stanley cups is facing multiple lawsuits over the use of lead in its products
Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/stanley-cup-maker-lawsuits-lead-in-products-2024-2
Published Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 22:27:38 +0000

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