Today In Frivolous Lawsuits

A New Jersey woman has filed a $5M class action lawsuit against NYC-based discount retailer Century 21 because when she returned items for a cash refund, she didn't get 80 cents in credit for the coupon she'd used when making the original purchase.

In Manhattan federal court papers, Tova Gerson claims she used a coupon, good for $5 off a $50-or-more purchase during a Jan. 10 shopping spree at Century 21's Paramus, NJ, store. Gerson plunked down a total of $106.82, before tax, for items that included faux-suede moccasins, a child's dress, stuffed toy and little girls' lace tights, underwear and T-shirts, according to the filing. But then, on Jan. 19, Gerson returned a $17.97 kid's ensemble, claiming it was the wrong color, the filing states. Century 21 refunded her money -- minus the 80 cents she'd saved, on a pro-rated basis, by using the discount coupon. Gerson, a hat designer who sells her creations from her suburban home, flipped her lid. Century 21's take-back, she claims, deprived her of the "full benefit" of the $5-off coupon.

Gerson's suit was filed by her lawyer father, who makes his living suing retailers over similar "coupon schemes." According to the above-linked story, some retailers have settled out of court rather than deal with the lawsuits.