The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and its founders have
been named as defendants in a class action lawsuit filed in federal
court involving the LEED® rating system.
The lawsuit, which alleges USGBC's claim it verifies efficient
design and construction is "false and intended to mislead the
consumer and monopolize the market for energy-efficient building
design," was filed Oct. 8, 2010, on behalf of mechanical systems
designer Henry Gifford, owner of Gifford Fuel Saving Inc., New
York.
The lawsuit accuses USGBC of fraudulently misleading consumers
and misrepresenting the energy performance of buildings certified
under its LEED rating system and argues LEED is harming the
environment by leading consumers away from proven energy-saving
strategies. Other allegations include deceptive marketing, unfair
competition, deceptive business practices and false advertising
under New York State law, wire fraud and...
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