Hermès wins another legal battle: the Birkin remains “untouchable”

The pursuit of this luxury icon remains as exclusive as ever. For the second time, Hermès has succeeded in having a US judge dismiss a class-action lawsuit challenging its famous sales system for the Birkin bag.

Three buyers from California claimed that the brand forced customers to purchase other products in order to access a Birkin, an alleged “tying” scheme that they argued was illegal. Judge James Donato made it clear that reserving Birkins for the highest-spending clients does not constitute an antitrust violation and closed the case definitively.

Donato even noted that if Hermès decided to produce five Birkins a year and charge a million dollars each, they were entitled to do so. The court thus confirmed that Hermès’ extreme exclusivity—balancing scarcity with client loyalty—is entirely legal.

This lawsuit, which accused the maison of masking a “lottery system” behind the Birkin’s astronomical prices, is now firmly behind them. The conclusion is clear: the Birkin remains a trophy reserved for the few, and Hermès keeps its realm of inaccessible luxury intact.