Five Brand Names to Beware of this April Fools’ Day
Oh, the irony behind these five brand names.
TINA.org files a friend of the court brief opposing proposed settlement.
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UPDATE 3/21/16: The settlement was approved despite the objection by TINA.org and others.
Coca-Cola will be temporarily tweaking the labels of its vitaminwater drink to reflect its sugary content under a proposed settlement of a lawsuit filed in part by lawyers from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). It will also temporarily stop making certain claims relating to health benefits.
But the proposed settlement isn’t such a sweet deal for consumers and TINA.org has filed a friend of the court brief opposing it. Here are some issues with the settlement as is:
The federal suit that was filed in 2009 alleged that Coca-Cola was misleading consumers by marketing vitaminwater as healthy.
Specifically, the lawsuit took issue with Coca-Cola’s claims that vitaminwater could help reduce the risk of eye disease, promote healthy joints, and support immune function when, in reality, the huge amount of sugar in the product promotes obesity, diabetes, and other health problems.
Numerous other class-action attorneys jumped on the bandwagon after the 2009 suit and filed actions against Coca-Cola in various states, including Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Missouri and the Virgin Islands, making similar allegations. (These five cases were consolidated in Ohio federal court.)
Last October, TINA.org filed court papers objecting to a settlement in the consolidated cases that awarded the attorneys who brought the suits $1.2 million, gave nothing to consumers who bought the drink under the mistaken impression from the marketing that it was a healthy alternative to soda, and didn’t remedy the deceptive labeling and marketing of vitaminwater. CSPI also objected, on different grounds, but the judge approved the settlement in March.
A final fairness hearing on the proposed settlement is scheduled for Feb. 26.
For more on TINA.org’s legal efforts on vitaminwater click here.
Oh, the irony behind these five brand names.
Advocacy group urges federal agencies to investigate what they call deceptive “diet” claims.
Settlement scorecard: Lawyers, a cool million; consumers, nothing.