Nike Hit With Another Lawsuit

Public statements by Nike defending wages and conditions at its Asian factories are misleading and violate California’s false-advertising laws, a group of consumer and business lawyers said in a lawsuit filed Monday.

A Code of Conduct that the world’s largest athletic shoe maker promoted in the media was intended “to entice consumers who do not want to purchase products made in sweatshops,” the suit said.

The suit said Nike has stated that it guarantees a “living wage” to all workers, that its workers in Southeast Asia make twice the local minimum wage, as well as free meals and health care, and are protected from corporal punishment; and that it complies with government rules on wages, hours and safety conditions.

Those claims, the suit says, are refuted by studies from labor and human rights groups, news media investigations and an audit of the company’s work conditions.