Are products on Home Shopping Network up to snuff? Well, maybe not all of them. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse and Home Shopping Network were sued Tuesday by a German trade association that claims they are trying to pass off some badly made (in China) knives as having been manufactured in Solingen, Germany.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Florida by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Wuppertal-Solingen-Rumscheid. Wuppertal-Solingen-Rumscheid are the owners of the Solingen name, which is synonymous with “the finest quality of Germany cutlery,” according to the court documents.
Also according to The Hollywood Reporter, the suit claims the defendants are knowingly selling counterfeit knives to HSN consumers under the “Emeril-Wüsthof” brand name. Martha Stewart is identified as being the “primary controlling force” behind the parent company, who was “responsible for the licensing, advertising, promotion and sales” of the knives.
The German knife company aren’t the only people who are upset about the knives. A disgruntled customer stated on HSN’s website: “I’m disappointed in the video when Emeril stated that the Santouku knife was made in Germany. That is terrible when a top chef lies to you on TV.” Other shoppers complained that the knives “were rusting and breaking in half.”
So far, calls to Chef Lagasse, Martha Stewart, and HSN have not been returned.
