MINNEAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) – A Michigan consumer alleges a retailer "lures consumers" with deceptive promotion plans.
Ruth Stinson filed a complaint on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated on Feb. 1 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota against Best Buy Co. Inc. alleging fraud and fraudulent inducement and other counts.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges the defendant's zero percent interest or no interest promotions are a deferred-interest scheme.
"Indeed, by use of such promotions, Best Buy lures consumers, including plaintiff, with deceptive promises of 'no interest' or 'zero percent interest' for the duration of a promotional period (e.g., 18 months), 'but there is a debt time bomb at the end: Consumers who don’t pay off the entire balance before the promotional period ends will be charged interest retroactively back to the date that they bought the item, even on amounts that have been paid off,'" the suit states.
The plaintiff holds Best Buy Co., Inc. responsible because the defendant allegedly misrepresented or did not disclose material facts about its promotions.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks declare that the defendant's conduct to be fraudulent, restitution, disgorgement, actual damages, enjoin the defendant, punitive and exemplary damages, interest, court costs and any further relief this court grants.
She is represented by Melissa S. Weiner and Christopher J. Moreland of Halunen Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Jeffrey D. Kaliel of Kaliel PLLC in Washington, D.C.; and Jeff Ostrow and Scott Edelsberg of Kopelowitz Ostrow Ferguson Weiselberg Gilbert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota Case number 0:18-cv-00295-JNE-FLN