The $35 million false-advertising lawsuit filed by Native American Arts against jeweler Peter Stone Co. has been dismissed by an Illinois judge.

Native American Arts (NAA) filed suit against the Peter Stone Co. under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which forbids retailers from falsely advertising that products are of Native American origin. The suit alleged that NAA had suffered a loss of sales due to the Peter Stone Co.’s false advertising; the judge ruled that the plaintiff provided insufficient evidence for this claim and threw the case out. 

The products under scrutiny were from a collection called Wolfwalker, designed by Wendy Whiteman, which Peter Stone Co. sold from 2006 to 2009. The pieces were advertised as authentic Native American jewelry, Native American jewelry, Native American designs, and genuine Indian handmade, according to court documents. NAA claimed that there was no evidence the designer was of Native American heritage.

JCK