The US Department of Justice is seeking criminal charges again retailer Lumber Liquidators saying Lumber Liquidators‟ imported flooring, which the Justice Department alleges contains illegally sourced wood. Unlike previous high-profile Lacey Act investigations that focused on tropical and usually threatened wood species, this case is about common temperate hardwood species from Russia.
Lumber Liquidators is already the target of many class- action lawsuits over elevated formaldehyde emissions from laminate flooring sourced from China. The company recently announced that it suspended the sourcing of laminate flooring from China and sells European and North American products instead. Lumber Liquidators estimates the loss from the Justice Department‟s action at about US$10 million according to a company‟s release.
Last year, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has accused Lumber Liquidators of importing flooring made from illegally sourced birch and oak from Siberia used by a Chinese flooring manufacturer, a supplier to Lumber Liquidators.