THE WHAT?  L’Occitane has filed a lawsuit in a California federal court against the U.S. law firm Zimmerman Reed.

THE DETAILS The lawsuit accuses Zimmerman Reed of “manufacturing” mass arbitration claims by encouraging individuals to claim their privacy was violated due to third-party tracking software on L’Occitane’s website.

Zimmerman Reed allegedly approached L’Occitane, claiming to represent over 2,250 clients under the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), and later increased this number to 3,144 individuals, filing over 100 arbitration claims.

THE WHY? L’Occitane’s complaint criticizes the application of CIPA to standard website operations, such as using third-party tracking tools, arguing that this interpretation is burdensome to businesses and potentially unconstitutional.

The lawsuit seeks to block Zimmerman Reed’s actions and end what L’Occitane describes as “shakedown suits” under the state penal law.

The case is L’Occitane, Inc. v. Zimmerman Reed LLP, et al., U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, 2:24-cv-01103.