Updated Nov. 9: Kanye West‘s Yeezy brand has agreed to pay $950,000 to settle a lawsuit that concerns shipping delays on products ordered online.
The apparel and footwear brand was previously named a defendant in a lawsuit that was reportedly filed on Oct. 22 by the state of California, County of Los Angeles, The Los Angeles Times reported.
According to reports of the civil suit, L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón and other lawyers alleged that West’s brand violated a state business code that requires products ordered online to be shipped within 30 days. According to the code, if items are not shipped in that time frame, a company must provide a refund, credit the account, send a written notice of delay, or offer a replacement product of similar quality.
According to the lawsuit, the Yeezy brand failed to give adequate notices of delays and misled consumers regarding shipment timing.
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Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Randolph M. Hammock signed the settlement judgement on Nov. 3. West will pay $200,000 in civil penalties to each of the four district attorney offices involved in the suit, $50,000 in restitution to the Consumer Protection Prosecution Trust Fund, and $25,000 in investigative costs to each of the four district attorneys’ offices.
“Online consumers are entitled to protection against unwarranted fees and unreasonably long waits for purchases to arrive on their doorsteps,” District Attorney Gascón said in a press release. “We will enforce state and federal laws governing online shopping in Los Angeles County.”
As part of the settlement, Yeezy may no longer mislead consumers regarding a shipping timeframe or refund and must refund money to consumers who do not get their products shipped in a timely manner.
According to the LA Times, there was no time frame listed for the complaints mentioned in the suit, which means they could have occurred before major supply chain and port congestion problems made delays the norm within retail and other industries.
In recent months, port congestion, factory shutdowns and labor shortages have caused major delays across the global supply chain. Experts predict that these changes could last through 2023. In some cases, the delays are putting certain brands and retailers in jeopardy of missing crucial inventory targets.
Yeezy is no stranger to legal battles. The brand is currently embroiled in an ongoing challenge with Walmart after it filed a suit against the big-box retailer and other third-party sellers for selling shoes that look like Yeezy foam runners. Walmart also filed a notice of opposition with the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, arguing that a registration sought by West’s brand is too similar to its own spark-like logo.
