Leslie Shon Weathers filed a second class-action lawsuit against Tori Belle Cosmetics in Washington state on August 16, 2022, alleging the company billed her $9 monthly for 25 months without justification. This claim mirrors a previous state-level complaint filed on August 2nd, highlighting concerns over how the company managed its affiliate membership fees.
Weathers, a Texas resident, joined Tori Belle as an affiliate in January 2020. She purchased approximately $18 worth of products, then made no sales and recruited no new members. She acknowledged the initial $9 charge, which granted her access to an affiliate website, but states the company continued to charge her credit card monthly without further notification or her explicit consent.
For 25 consecutive months, Tori Belle maintained the $9 charge. Weathers emailed the company on August 11, 2022, to cancel her account. Four days later, on August 15, Tori Belle charged her another $9. This pattern of sustained billing raised questions about the company's adherence to its own operational guidelines.
The lawsuit references Tori Belle's 2019 Affiliate Terms, which were in effect when Weathers joined. These terms outlined two conditions for agreement termination. One condition stated that an affiliate agreement would terminate if the monthly fee went unpaid for three straight months. This provision did not apply to Weathers, as she continued to be charged.
The second termination condition applied to "inactivity." This was defined as generating less than $300 in retail sales over a six-month period. Weathers never made any sales, meaning her agreement should have automatically ended under this clause.
The complaint alleges Tori Belle disregarded its own contractual rules. The company reportedly continued to charge former affiliates for months, and sometimes years, after their agreements should have technically expired. Some individuals allegedly resorted to canceling their credit cards to stop the recurring billing. When customers complained, the company reportedly chose to retain the funds rather than process refunds for the unearned fees.
Weathers sought to represent a nationwide class of affected individuals, potentially numbering in the thousands. The complaint stated that Tori Belle's internal records could provide the names and addresses of class members during the discovery phase of litigation.
The lawsuit aimed to determine if Tori Belle breached its contract, whether charging inactive affiliates was legal, and if class members suffered financial damages. Weathers claimed she was overcharged $216 over 24 months. The complaint broadly stated total damages exceeded $5 million. This figure suggests a significantly larger pool of affected affiliates than a simple calculation of 10,000 individuals each overcharged $216 would indicate.
The timing of Weathers' filing was critical. Tori Belle had initiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings on August 3, 2022, nearly two weeks before her lawsuit. This bankruptcy declaration automatically triggered a legal "stay" on all pending and new litigation against the company, effectively freezing Weathers' case until the bankruptcy court resolves the company's financial restructuring.
On January 24, 2023, Weathers requested the court dismiss her complaint without prejudice. This means the legal action could be refiled at a later date, should circumstances change or if a settlement was reached outside of public record. The court approved the dismissal the following day, January 25, with neither party seeking legal costs.