$600,000 in civil penalties will be divided equally among the District Attorney’s Offices of Napa, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sonoma counties. 

July 12, 2025 – LOS ANGELES, CA – Global fast fashion retailer Shein will pay $700,000 to settle a civil lawsuit brought by the District Attorney’s Offices of Napa, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sonoma counties. The lawsuit alleged that the company engaged in unlawful business practices by taking more than a month to ship online orders and failing to provide adequate delay notices to consumers or offer refunds for late orders as required by California law, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced on Thursday.

“In this case, fast fashion shipping was not-so-fast and in clear violation of California law,” District Attorney Hochman said. “No company, no matter how large, is above the law, and we will continue to fight for consumers in Los Angeles County. For companies operating throughout California, know this: District attorneys across the state will come together to hold you accountable. I thank our partners — especially Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley for leading this case, and LADA Deputy District Attorney Duke Chau of our Consumer Protection Division, for ensuring our offices are united in standing up for consumers.”

Shein’s fast fashion business model moves clothing rapidly from fashion shows to mass production and retail sales. The company sells clothing directly to California consumers through its website. Under California law, online orders must be shipped within thirty days of collecting payment. Failing that, the business must provide a refund, send equivalent or superior replacement goods, or provide the buyer with a written notice regarding the delay. The content of the notice must include the duration of the expected delay and an offer of a refund upon request.

The complaint and judgment were filed in Napa County Superior Court.

Under the judgment, Shein will pay $600,000 in civil penalties to be divided among the four District Attorney’s Offices, in addition to $100,000 in investigative costs. Shein is prohibited from making untrue or misleading statements about the time it takes to ship or deliver products and from violating the laws relating to shipping delays.

Shein worked cooperatively with prosecutors throughout the investigation.

Deputy District Attorney Chau of LADA’s Consumer Protection Division handled the case with assistance for data analysis from the Cyber Crimes Division on behalf of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. 

LADA’s Consumer Protection Division partners with the California Attorney General’s Office and district attorneys across the state to enforce consumer protection laws. Recent settlements include:

• AutoNation. On Feb. 21, California AutoNation dealerships agreed to pay $650,000 ($450,000 in civil penalties, $150,000 in investigative costs, and $50,000 to support statewide consumer protection efforts) to settle a civil lawsuit alleging that in thousands of instances dating back to 2019, the dealerships failed to transfer ownership of used vehicles to consumers on time as required by California law. AutoNation is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States, with more than 300 dealerships and other facilities in at least 20 states, including the State of California. The case was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court by the Santa Clara County District Attorney in partnership with LADA’s Consumer Protection Division and the district attorneys’ offices of San Francisco, Sonoma, Ventura, and Riverside counties. Assistant Head Deputy District Attorney Steven Wang handled the case on behalf of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Read LADA’s news release.
• Pure Maintenance. On June 3, Pure Maintenance and its founder/chief operating officer Michael Adams and chief executive officer Brandon Adams agreed to pay $425,000 ($275,000 in civil penalties and $150,000 in costs) to settle a civil lawsuit alleging that between 2012 and 2023, the company sold disinfectant chemicals with false claims related to the toxicity, regulatory approvals and capabilities of its products. The case was filed by Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho in Sacramento County Superior Court along with LADA and nine other District Attorney’s Offices in California. Deputy District Attorney Louis Morin handled the case on behalf of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The lawsuit included allegations that Pure Maintenance advertised its flagship product “Dry Fog” as safe, green, natural and non-toxic when the pesticides in Dry Fog are actually toxic and required to have “WARNING” or “DANGER” on the label; falsely claimed its products were approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation; and falsely claimed its product InstaPure was EPA approved to kill all bacteria. During the COVID pandemic, the company falsely claimed that fogging with InstaPure could kill coronavirus. Read the Sacramento County District Attorney’s news release.

• Pacific Magazine Billing. On June 10, Pacific Magazine Billing agreed to pay $275,000 to settle a civil lawsuit alleging that between 2016 and 2022, the company sent out tens of millions of mailers disguised as legitimate magazine subscription invoices in order to trick consumers into paying fake bills. As part of the judgment, the company is banned from participating in the mail order magazine solicitation industry. The case was filed in San Diego County Superior Court by San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan along with the California Attorney General, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and the District Attorney’s Offices of Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, and Sonoma counties. Deputy District Attorney Louis Morin handled the case on behalf of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Read the California Department of Justice news release including a statement from District Attorney Hochman.

Source: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office