The clothing chain was fined $3.7 million, and the judge dismissed the “potentially dangerous” COVID protection claim

A clothing company was fined a huge fine for promoting sportswear, which allegedly might prevent its spread Coronavirus disease.

Lorna Jane is headquartered in Australia It was discovered by a federal court on Friday that it had made “false and misleading statements” about its LJ Shield technology and its alleged ability to prevent the spread of COVID. As a fine, the company will pay a fine of 5 million Australian dollars, or about 3.7 million U.S. dollars, British Broadcasting Corporation Report.

judgment Following the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) filed a complaint against Lorna Jane in July last year.

ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said of the ruling: “This is a terrible act because it involves making serious demands on public health without a basis.”

Lorna Jane expressed acceptance of the ruling in a statement, but also tried to point the finger at other places: its suppliers. According to CEO Bill Clarkson, the supplier has made inaccurate claims against the company.

“A trusted supplier sold us a product that didn’t perform as promised,” Clarkson said. “They convinced us that the technology behind LJ Shield is being sold elsewhere in Australia, the United States, China, and Taiwan, and that it is both antibacterial and antiviral. We believe that we are passing benefits to our customers.”

The LJ Shield series of advertisements published by the BBC showed various false claims about the benefits it brings to Lorna Jane’s various sportswear products.

“LJSHIELD is a groundbreaking technology,” the material said. “This makes it impossible to transfer all pathogens to your sportswear by eliminating the virus in contact with the fabric (let us face it, we are all thinking about Covid-19).”

The advertisement continues to claim that LJ Shield will “as a water-based, non-toxic mist” applied to clothes and “will never be washed off, nor will it be absorbed by your skin.” It is said that this “safe, sustainable and permanent” technology can prevent “bacteria, viruses, molds and fungi” without adversely affecting the human body or the environment.

Weekly newspaper Lorna Jane was contacted to comment on this story, but no response has been received yet.