Reese Witherspoon Sued Over Draper James Teacher Dress Giveaway

Reese Witherspoon is being sued by a group of teachers who claim they handed over a bunch of sensitive information in the hopes of getting a free dress from the actress and it all ended up being a marketing gimmick.

According to court documents, three teachers have filed a class-action lawsuit against Reese Witherspoon and her clothing company Draper James.

Earlier this year, Draper James ran a promotional giveaway offering to give teachers a new dress. The advertisement stated, “Dear Teachers: We want to say thank you. During quarantine we see you working harder than ever to educate our children. To show our gratitude, Draper James would like to give teachers a free dress.”

View this post on Instagram

Dear Teachers: We want to say thank you. During quarantine, we see you working harder than ever to educate our children. To show our gratitude, Draper James would like to give teachers a free dress. To apply, complete the form at the link in bio before this Sunday, April 5th, 11:59 PM ET. (Offer valid while supplies last – winners will be notified on Tuesday, April 7th.) ✏️📓👗 x The Draper James Team Know a teacher who deserves a pick-me-up? Forward this post or tag your favorite educator in comments. 🍎 #DJLovesTeachers

A post shared by Draper James (@draperjames) on Apr 2, 2020 at 6:00am PDT

The proposed class-action suit, filed in California state court in April, claims that applicants who applied for the giveaway promoted by Draper James were asked to give personal information such as work email addresses, teacher IDs and copies of their work badges without knowledge that the company would use this data.

Reese Witherspoon Celebrates Draper James Dallas Store Opening — Reese Witherspoon on September 28, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images for Draper James)

“[Draper James] failed to disclose the material fact they only intended to provide goods for 250 people — which with the average retail cost of their least expensive goods, was an estimated paltry $12,500 in actual cost to defendants, at a time when other individuals of Witherspoon’s renown were offering millions of dollars to COVID-19 victims,” the complaint reads.

Draper James’ attorney Theane Evangelis told TMZ, “This lawsuit is an unjust attempt to exploit Draper James’ good intentions to honor the teacher community by gifting hundreds of free dresses. The fact that supplies were limited, such that a free dress could not be provided to every teacher who responded, was disclosed and is no basis for a lawsuit.”

She added, “Draper James looks forward to defending this case, to continuing its efforts to acknowledge the extraordinary contributions made by teachers during this time of need, and to being vindicated in court.”