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The
Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute and
L.W. Packard, Inc., a manufacturer of cashmere and
cashmere blend fabrics formerly based in New
Hampshire, have reached a settlement in a
long-standing lawsuit against Harve Benard, Ltd.,
Saks Fifth Avenue and Filenes Basement.
The cashmere group and its then member, L.W.
Packard, contended in the suit that Harve Benard
sold fabrics purported to contain 10% and 20%
cashmere which in fact contained little or no
cashmere and that the cashmere present in the
garments was in fact recycled. L.W. Packard sought
damages in excess of a million dollars for lost
business as a result of the alleged fraudulent
labeling; CCMI sought an injunction.
The mislabeled garments were sold extensively
in Saks Fifth Avenue and Filenes Basement as well as
other retailers.
During the pendency of the action which was first
filed in 1996, Harve Benard admitted it had been
selling garments, which contained recycled cashmere
and not labeling them as such. As part of the
settlement, Harve Benard has agreed to label
products containing recycled cashmere with the
recycle designation prominently displayed in
accordance with the law.
During
the pendency of the lawsuit Harve Benard also
undertook a substantial program for testing and
verifying fiber content in its garments.
Damages in the case were not disclosed.
Karl Spilhaus, President of the Cashmere and
Camel Manufacturers Institute stated that,
“Members of the CCMI were very pleased with the
settlement of this long-standing suit and hope that
it will send a strong message to garment
manufacturers and retailers that they must be
extremely vigilant in testing for actual cashmere
content, particularly with blended products”.
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