Michaels sent Indiana shoppers emails with fake sale deadlines, a new class action lawsuit claims.

Heather Kyle filed a class action lawsuit against Michaels Stores Inc. on Sept. 25, 2026, in Clark County Circuit Court No. 6 in Indiana.

The lawsuit alleges the arts and crafts retailer sent Indiana residents marketing emails with misleading discounts and fake deadlines in the subject lines.

What is Indiana's email law?

Indiana adopted the Deceptive Commercial Electronic Mail Act in 2003. It bars companies from sending commercial emails with false or misleading subject lines to addresses they know, or have reason to know, belong to Indiana residents.

Michaels' alleged sales

Michaels routinely extended or restarted sales soon after it announced they were ending, the proposed class action claims. It cites several examples:


  • A Sept. 1, 2025, email saying a 40% off coupon ended that day followed by a Sept. 2 extension

  • Sept. 20 and 21, 2025, emails announcing the final hours of the "Lowest Prices of the Season" sale followed by a Sept. 22 extension

  • A Sept. 27, 2025, email saying a sale of up to 60% off trees ended that day followed by an Oct. 1 extension

Archived 2023 emails and web pages cited in the complaint show sitewide coupons of 20-40% off for most of that year. With those coupons available nearly all the time, the retailer's regular prices allegedly overstated what shoppers usually paid, which made the savings in its emails bigger on paper than in practice, according to the proposed class action.

The plaintiff's reported experience

For the law to apply, Michaels had to know, or have reason to know, the recipients lived in Indiana. The retailer collects postal addresses, IP addresses and location data from shoppers and can buy more from data brokers, the filing claims.

Kyle alleges she signed up for Michaels emails around 2021 while living in Indiana and has received its promotions since at least March 2023. Those reportedly include two 2026 Memorial Day emails, one billing the sale as four days only and another saying it ended May 25. A May 26 email then extended the sale by one more day.

She claims she can no longer tell which of the retailer's emails contain truthful offers.

What the lawsuit means for Michaels shoppers

Kyle seeks the greater of actual damages or $500 per violation. Where the law allows, she asks the court to triple that amount and add punitive damages along with interest, attorneys' fees and an order barring deceptive subject lines.

The proposed class covers Indiana residents who received Michaels promotional emails advertising percentage-off discounts or deadlines for sales the company later extended or brought back during a class period the complaint says reaches back six years.

There is no settlement, no claims process and no money available at this time.