Maker of Stanley tumblers prevails in lawsuit over lead scare

Stanley tumblers are seen for sale at the Footprint retail store in San Francisco, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

A U.S. federal judge dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit accusing the maker of Stanley tumblers of concealing that the popular water bottles contained lead.

In a decision on Friday, U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Seattle said consumers did not demonstrate a “specific and plausible risk of harm” from lead by using the tumblers, which are made by the defendant Pacific Market International.

The colourful tumblers are sometimes known as Stanley cups and became popular, particularly among women, with help from social media influencers.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday. A lawyer for the defendant had no immediate comment.

• READ MORE: U.S. mom finds traces of lead in Stanley cups after doing at-home tests
• READ MORE: Stanley cups recalled over ‘burn hazard’

Litigation over the tumblers began after reports of possible lead contamination went viral on social media in early 2024.

Pacific Market International, based in Seattle, said it used pellets to help keep tumblers’ contents at proper temperatures, and that while the pellets contained “some lead” it was inaccessible to consumers once sealed.

The plaintiffs said they would not have bought Stanley cups or would have paid less had they known the risk.

But in a 41-page decision, Lin said the plaintiffs did not show the use of lead in Stanley tumblers would be material to reasonable consumers.

She also found no showing that the mere presence of lead was dangerous, or that the pellets could contaminate the contents of Stanley tumblers, be ingested or be inhaled.

“Without even a hypothetical explanation of how any consumer might be harmed by the lead in defendant’s product, the problem remains that the dangers plaintiffs warn of are completely disconnected from the Stanley cups,” she wrote.

“If Stanley tumblers work as advertised and pose no plausible risk of harm, any representations by defendant that the tumblers are ‘safe and suitable for ordinary use’ cannot be shown to be ‘false’ or ‘misleading,’” she added.

Lin said the plaintiffs can amend their complaint, but if they do not fix its shortcomings “particularly as related to materiality” she will dismiss it for good.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Nia Williams