A Black Rifle Coffee lawsuit filed in November 2025 is the company’s most active piece of litigation: a federal class action claiming the brand’s “America’s Coffee” tagline and heavy use of the American flag mislead buyers into thinking the coffee is made in the United States when the beans are imported. That case is pending, but it is one of several suits involving the company over the past few years, alongside investor warrant disputes, a consulting-royalty fight, an employment discrimination claim, and a California Proposition 65 action.
The “America’s Coffee” Class Action
On November 3, 2025, Justin Bakker of California and Noah Lundgren of New York sued Black Rifle Coffee Company LLC and its parent, BRC Inc., in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. The case, Bakker v. Black Rifle Coffee Co. (No. 2:25-cv-03193), argues that the “America’s Coffee” branding and prominent flag imagery function as an unqualified “Made in USA” claim.1Top Class Actions. Consumers Sue Black Rifle for Selling Imported Coffee Under America’s Coffee Slogan
According to the complaint, Black Rifle’s beans are grown, harvested, and milled outside the United States, with only roasting and bagging happening domestically. The plaintiffs point to Federal Trade Commission guidance that products bearing unqualified “Made in USA” claims must be “all or virtually all” domestically produced. Blends named in the complaint include “Wakin the Neighbors,” “Spirit of ’76,” and “Tactisquatch.”2Daily Coffee News. Black Rifle Coffee Facing Class Action Over USA-Forward Branding
The plaintiffs sent a formal demand letter under California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act on September 11, 2025. In-house counsel responded on October 3, 2025, with a single word: “No.” The suit brings claims under California’s Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law, Consumer Legal Remedies Act, and “Made in USA” labeling statute, along with New York’s consumer protection laws.3ClassAction.org. Bakker v. Black Rifle Coffee Co. Complaint The plaintiffs are asking for damages, restitution, disgorgement, and a permanent injunction against the current advertising.
Black Rifle’s own FAQ page states that beans are imported directly from Colombia and Brazil, then blended and roasted at facilities in Manchester, Tennessee, and Salt Lake City, Utah. No raw coffee is grown domestically.4Black Rifle Coffee Company. FAQ
As of mid-2026, the case is early. Black Rifle had not filed a motion to dismiss or an answer, and no federal or state agency, including the FTC, has publicly announced its own investigation into the advertising.3ClassAction.org. Bakker v. Black Rifle Coffee Co. Complaint
Investor Warrant Lawsuits
Black Rifle went public in February 2022 through a merger with SilverBox Engaged Merger Corp I, a SPAC. Shares began trading on the NYSE as BRCC, and the company issued redeemable warrants exercisable at $11.50 per share.5U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. BRC Inc. Form 8-K Two investors then sued over being blocked from exercising those warrants.
Tang Capital Partners v. BRC Inc.
Tang Capital Partners LP sued in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in April 2022, alleging breach of the warrant agreement. Tang said it had spent more than $3.76 million on over a million warrants and was denied the ability to exercise them in March 2022 when the company said the registration form did not cover the exercise.6BevNET. Brew Battles: A Guide to Black Rifle Coffee’s Active Lawsuits
The court denied Black Rifle’s motion to dismiss in 2023. In November 2024, on cross-motions for summary judgment, the judge handed Tang a partial win, finding that the warrant agreement’s conditions had been satisfied when Tang first tried to exercise. The court characterized the matter as a $10 million breach of contract dispute.7Bloomberg Law. Coffee Roaster BRC Improperly Nixed Warrant Exercise, Court Says The case was terminated on July 21, 2025. Public records do not detail whether it ended by settlement, judgment, or other means.8CourtListener. Tang Capital Partners, LP v. BRC Inc.
1791 Management v. Black Rifle Coffee Company
In May 2022, 1791 Management LLC filed its own suit in Orange County Superior Court, alleging securities fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and negligent misrepresentation. Like Tang, 1791 said Black Rifle had blocked it from exercising warrants after the SPAC merger. The firm publicly accused the company of defrauding shareholders and sought more than $5 million.9The Mercury News. Legal Brawl Erupts Between Black Rifle Coffee and One of Its OC Investors The current status of that case is not reflected in available records.
Strategy and Execution Royalty Dispute
Strategy and Execution Inc. (SEI), a management and brokerage firm led by Bryon Evans and Pete Popovich, sued Black Rifle in February 2023 over a consulting agreement dated January 1, 2020. SEI said it was owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties and expenses on ready-to-drink coffee, and claimed intellectual property rights to the RTD formulations.6BevNET. Brew Battles: A Guide to Black Rifle Coffee’s Active Lawsuits
The parties settled for $417,000, with the agreement signed on January 28, 2025. SEI then appealed to the Fifth Circuit on April 9, 2025, challenging the district court’s ruling on “royalties in perpetuity,” which turned on whether the contract entitled SEI to ongoing royalties for products manufactured after the initial term expired on January 1, 2024.10MySanAntonio.com. Black Rifle Coffee Lawsuit
On October 23, 2025, the Fifth Circuit affirmed. The court held that the agreement was unambiguous and that royalties applied only to products developed and manufactured during the initial term. It rejected SEI’s argument that the termination clause independently created post-termination royalty rights, finding the provision simply addressed invoicing that lagged past the contract’s end.11CaseMine. Strategy and Execution, Incorporated v. Black Rifle Coffee Company, L.L.C.
Kim Ellis Employment Discrimination Suit
Former executive Kim Ellis sued Black Rifle in June 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleging discrimination based on sex, race, age, and disability. Ellis said she was fired ten days after reporting discriminatory behavior by the company’s Chief Retail Officer to human resources.6BevNET. Brew Battles: A Guide to Black Rifle Coffee’s Active Lawsuits The case was terminated on July 6, 2023. Docket records available do not specify whether it ended in settlement, voluntary dismissal, or a court order.12CourtListener. Ellis v. Black Rifle Coffee Company
California Proposition 65 Settlement
The Environmental Research Center Inc. brought a Proposition 65 action in Alameda County Superior Court against Black Rifle Coffee Company LLC, BRC Inc., and BRCC Operating Company LLC, alleging the company failed to provide required warnings for lead, cadmium, and mercury in certain dietary supplement products sold in California.13California Office of the Attorney General. Proposition 65 60-Day Notice – Environmental Research Center, Inc. v. Black Rifle Coffee Company
The matter settled in February 2023, with a consent judgment entered on June 8, 2023. Black Rifle agreed to pay $150,000 total: $60,000 in civil penalties, roughly $47,100 in attorney fees and costs, and about $42,900 to the Environmental Research Center for enforcement and compliance work. The company was also permanently enjoined from selling covered dietary supplements in California above specified daily exposure limits for those three metals without providing Proposition 65 warnings.13California Office of the Attorney General. Proposition 65 60-Day Notice – Environmental Research Center, Inc. v. Black Rifle Coffee Company The settlement applies only to the California dietary supplement products at issue and is separate from the pending “Made in USA” claims about the coffee itself.
Where Things Stand
The “America’s Coffee” class action is the one still to be decided, and it is the case most directly tied to Black Rifle’s core brand identity. The consulting dispute with SEI is resolved after the Fifth Circuit’s October 2025 ruling. The Tang Capital warrant case ended in July 2025 by an undisclosed mechanism. The 1791 Management state-court action’s current posture is not reflected in the available research. The Ellis employment case closed in 2023, and the Proposition 65 matter is governed by the 2023 consent judgment.