May 30, 2015 2 min read

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A West Virginia woman who purchased flooring from Lumber Liquidators is suing the company, citing reports its Chinese-made laminate flooring contains high levels of the carcinogen formaldehyde.

Genevieve Baldwin filed suit in U.S. District Court in Wheeling based on a report in March on the CBS news show “60 Minutes” about the laminate flooring, the State Journal reported Saturday.

Baldwin’s lawsuit contends Lumber Liquidators marketed the laminates as being compliant with state and federal standards, but tests commissioned by two environmental advocacy groups found otherwise.

The Virginia-based company has said it has suspended the sale of all laminate flooring made in China after disclosing that the Justice Department is seeking criminal charges against it.

Lumber Liquidators said it decided to suspend the sales while a board committee completes a review of its sourcing compliance program.

Baldwin said she would not have purchased the laminate had she known of the risk of formaldehyde exposure.

Baldwin’s lawsuit claims Lumber Liquidators was negligent and violated the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act as well as state code, among other allegations. She’s seeking class status along with actual, punitive and statutory damages from Lumber Liquidators.

Lumber Liquidators sent thousands of free air testing kits to customers since early March. It said that more than 97 percent of the kits from customers with laminate flooring from China showed formaldehyde air concentrations that fell within World Health Organization guidelines.

The company said it stopped buying Chinese laminate flooring for now, opting instead for products from parts of Europe and North America.

Lumber Liquidators has 300 stores in 46 states.

Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. is based in Toano, Va.