Ninth Circuit Revives Class Action Over Target Bed Sheet Thread Counts

The Ninth Circuit has revived a class action alleging Target misled consumers about bed sheet thread counts.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on April 17, 2026, reversed the dismissal of a class action lawsuit against Target Corporation, breathing new life into claims that the retailer advertised misleading thread counts for its 100% cotton bed sheets.

• Plaintiffs contend that Target's labeling of certain sheets as having thread counts of 600 or more is deceptive—arguing such high numbers are not possible with 100% cotton fabric.
• The district court previously dismissed the case, ruling that consumers could not have been misled by the labels as a matter of law.
• However, the appellate panel stated that the lower court erred by skipping the required analysis of label ambiguity, citing precedent from Moore v. Trader Joe's. The ruling emphasizes that courts must examine whether a label is ambiguous before deciding if a plaintiff could be deceived.

High thread counts are widely used in the marketing and pricing of bed linens, often cited as a mark of quality. The growing trend of litigation over labeling was highlighted in a recent settlement involving American Textile Co., which paid $750,000 to resolve claims it overstated thread counts on Sealy-branded bedding.

The Ninth Circuit’s approach follows its decisions in other false advertising disputes, including Whiteside v. Kimberly Clark Corp., which focused on misleading labeling claims under California law.