KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Attorney General is suing six businesses for shipping alcohol into the state without a license from the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
The lawsuit filed on July 14 names six businesses. Five of those businesses are based in California and one is based in Florida. All of them have a website that allows users to select the kinds of spirits and alcoholic drinks they want and adds them to a cart. They also allow users to select where they want alcohol shipped to.
As of July 14, the websites would allow users to ship alcohol to some states, such as New York, where none of the businesses are based. However, they told users shipping was unavailable for Tennessee addresses as they checked out.
According to the lawsuit, special agents with the TABC successfully bought alcoholic drinks off five of the websites and they were shipped to Tennessee addresses. The lawsuit said TABC sent a cease and desist letter to the other business, Wooden Cork, in December 2021 after wine was bought and shipped to Tennessee.
Then, in October 2022, a special agent with TABC bought vodka off the website and it was shipped to a Tennessee address.
"Defendants have each violated and continue to violate Tennessee liquor laws by shipping intoxicating liquor directly to consumers in Tennessee from outside the state without licensure by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission," the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit says the businesses violated the 21st Amendment Enforcement Act, which restricts alcohol from being transported across state lines. It also says the businesses violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.
