NEW YORK, March 3 (Reuters) - The maker of Reynolds Wrap

aluminum foil must face a proposed class action claiming it

misled consumers who wanted to "buy American," by falsely

claiming that its foil was "Made in USA," a U.S. judge ruled on

Monday.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan said

consumers can try to prove that Reynolds Consumer Products ( REYN )

violated New York state consumer protection laws by

using false and misleading packaging for its namesake foil.

Reynolds and its lawyers did not immediately respond to

requests for comment.

According to the complaint filed last March, substantially

all bauxite in Reynolds' foil comes from outside the United

States, where little of the ore is produced, and much of it is

eventually transformed into aluminum outside the United States.

This made Reynolds' "Foil Made in USA" claim false and

misleading to reasonable consumers, because they would spend

more on products "made in America," the complaint said

The plaintiff, Anaya Washington of Bronx, New York, said she

bought Reynolds Wrap at Target and other stores, believing the

brand as trustworthy and familiar as Kleenex and Vaseline, and

wouldn't have bought the foil had she knows where it came from.

In seeking a dismissal, Reynolds said Washington relied on

generic "overpayment" accusations rather than show harm.

It also called the case "another lawyer-driven class action

seeking to profit from a truthful 'Made in the USA' statement."

But the judge said Washington plausibly alleged she paid

more than she would have but for the "Foil Made in USA" label.

The lawsuit seeks at least $5 million of damages.

Many lawsuits accuse companies of using imprecise labeling

that induces shoppers to pay more, including through appeals to

their patriotism.

In 2021, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission adopted a "Made

in USA Labeling Rule" to protect businesses and consumers from

being misled over product origins.

U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is encouraging

global businesses to manufacture more products in the United

States.

Washington's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request

for comment.

The case is Washington v Reynolds Consumer Products LLC,

U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

24-02327.