Seattle Woman Who Tried To Sell Handbag Sues Coach

SEATTLE (AP) - A Seattle woman is suing handbag maker Coach Inc., saying the company wrongly accused her of selling counterfeit purses online.

Gina Kim says in the federal lawsuit that she is a former Coach employee and had every right to sell legitimate Coach handbags she owned on eBay. But when she tried, she received a cease-and-desist letter from the company demanding that she pay $300 to avoid being sued. She also says eBay shut down her account at Coach's request.

The lawsuit seeks class-action status and says Coach has threatened other people without bothering to investigate whether the items being sold are counterfeit. The lawsuit accuses Coach of violating the state Consumer Protection Act.

Coach and its lawyers did not return calls and e-mails from The Associated Press seeking comment.