$100 million class action filed against LEED and USGBC

WASHINGTON — Henry Gifford has been a thorn in the side of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for a couple of years, since he wrote an article claiming that Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rated buildings used 29 percent more energy than conventional buildings, according to Treehugger.

LEED has changed a lot since then, but not enough for Henry: He's launched a $100 million class action lawsuit against the USGBC, the article stated.

Henry is going after them for Sherman Act Monopolization through fraud, unfair competition, deceptive trade practices, false advertising, wire fraud and unjust enrichment, the article noted.

Environmental lawyer Shari Shapiro at Green Building Law describes the suit in plain language: His theory is that the USGBC has falsely claimed that its rating system makes buildings save energy.

According to the article, Henry believes that building owners have spent more money to have their buildings certified, that professionals have gotten worthless professional credentials and people in general have been duped into thinking LEED has meaning.

Click here to read the complete article.