Judge Denies Williams Sonoma’s Request in Class Action Over Allegedly Misleading Bedding Claims

Judge Orrick’s Denial and Its Repercussions Judge William H. Orrick found that Williams-Sonoma failed to prove consumers agreed to arbitrate claims, citing a lack of clear evidence that users had proper notice of the arbitration terms.

The court emphasized that even in the company’s modern digital environment, the design of Williams-Sonoma’s ‘Shopping Cart’ and ‘Place Order’ pages did not make the terms and conditions visually conspicuous enough to bind consumers.

This means that consumers who completed purchases online—or who signed up for loyalty programs, gift registries, or credit card accounts after certain dates—cannot automatically be excluded on the basis of arbitration agreements, as Williams-Sonoma argued.

The judge rejected the company’s motion in its entirety, concluding that it failed to meet its burden of showing that consumers were on inquiry notice of the terms during the relevant time periods. This order follows a broader, years-long legal tussle beginning in March 2016 when the original class action—William Rushing v…