A Muslim man who alleges he was served pork pepperoni on a pizza sold as halal has filed a $100-million putative class action against Little Caesar Enterprises. Bazzi v. Little Caesar Pizza, 17-7931 (Mich. Cir. Ct. Wayne Cty., filed May 25, 2017). According to the complaint, the plaintiff ordered the pizza at a franchise location in Dearborn, Michigan, that advertises halal pizza, but although the pizza box displayed a halal sticker, the pepperoni contained pork. Alleging breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraud, the plaintiff seeks class certification, compensatory and punitive damages and attorney’s fees. Issue 636
Category Archives State Courts
Infowars founder Alex Jones has reportedly agreed to retract his statements concerning Chobani LLC's production facility in Twin Falls, Idaho, after Chobani filed a defamation lawsuit. Jones' website published a video asserting that Chobani's Idaho facility, which employs a number of refugees, was linked to a crime and a rise in incidents of tuberculosis. "During the week of April 10, 2017, certain statements were made on the Infowars Twitter feed and YouTube channel regarding Chobani LLC that I now understand to be wrong. The tweets and video have now been retracted, and will not be reposted,” Jones reportedly said. “On behalf of Infowars, I regret that we mischaracterized Chobani, its employees and the people of Twin Falls, Idaho, the way we did." Additional details on the lawsuit appear in Issue 632 of this Update. See Los Angeles Times, May 17, 2017. Issue 635
Consumer advocacy group Beyond Pesticides has filed suit against the maker of Mott’s applesauce products, alleging the term “natural” on its labels misleads consumers because the products contain the pesticide acetamiprid. Beyond Pesticides v. Dr Pepper Snapple Grp., No. 2017 CA 003156 B (D.C. Super. Ct., filed May 5, 2017). The plaintiff asserts that the “natural” and “All Natural Ingredients” labeling on several varieties of Mott’s applesauce mislead consumers who would not expect the products to contain a “synthetic, unnatural chemical.” Claiming violations of the District of Columbia’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act, the plaintiff seeks injunctive and equitable relief—including the establishment of a “community fund” to raise consumer awareness of acetamiprid—and attorney’s fees. Issue 634
A California plaintiff has filed a projected class action against Omaha Steaks alleging the company’s shipping and handling charges “greatly exceed” the actual cost of shipping items to consumers. McCoy v. Omaha Steaks Int’l, No. BC658076 (Sup. Ct. Cal., Los Angeles Cty., filed April 14, 2017). The plaintiff asserts that he was charged $15.99 in shipping and handling fees for a jar of dry rub, allegedly twice what he would have paid had the product been shipped by the U.S. Postal Service. The complaint relies on the Direct Marketing Association’s ethical guidelines on shipping charges, which purportedly recommend charges be “reasonably related” to actual costs and disclosed early in the order process. Issue 632
Chobani LLC has reportedly filed a libel suit against Alex Jones, radio host and founder of Infowars, alleging Jones defamed the company with a report that its Idaho factory was linked to a child sexual assault case and a rise in incidents of tuberculosis. Chobani LLC v. Jones, No. 42171659 (Idaho 5th Jud. D. Ct., filed April 24, 2017). Jones’ Infowars video apparently asserted that Chobani's policy of hiring refugees caused several negative effects in Twin Falls, Idaho, including a sexual assault case involving refugee minors. See Bloomberg and New York Times, April 25, 2017. Issue 632
A California court is allowing to proceed a putative slack-fill class action against Golden Grain Inc., a subsidiary of PepsiCo, Inc. that makes Near East rice and grain products. Arcala v. Golden Grain Co., No. 16-555084 (Cal. Sup. Ct. San Francisco Cty., order entered April 5, 2017). The plaintiffs allege that Golden Grain’s couscous, rice pilaf, quinoa, tabbouleh and other products are packaged with nonfunctional slack fill in violation of state law, and the court rejected Golden Grain’s arguments that the complaint made no distinction between functional and nonfunctional slack fill. Among other relief, the ® plaintiffs are seeking an injunction, restitution and class certification. Issue 630
Twenty-three Dunkin’ Donuts franchise locations in Massachusetts have reached a tentative settlement with a plaintiff who claimed the stores served him “margarine or a butter substitute” on his bagels despite his request for butter. Polanik v. Boston Hill Donuts, LLC, No. 17-84914 (Suffolk Cty. Superior Ct., settlement agreement filed March 24, 2017); Polanik v. CM&R Donuts, Inc., No. 17-84915 (Suffolk Cty. Superior Ct., settlement agreement filed March 24, 2017). In both projected class actions, the plaintiff claimed he paid 25 cents each time he ordered butter and was never told a butter substitute was used instead. A Dunkin’ Donuts spokesperson told The Boston Globe in 2013 that the recommended store procedure was to serve individual whipped butter packets if requested by the customer, but otherwise employees apply “vegetable spread” to bagels or pastries. If the settlement is approved, the plaintiff will receive $500 and up to 1,400 customers may claim…
A California court held that Bumble Bee Foods, LLC did not act illegally by claiming its tuna was an “excellent source” of omega-3 fatty acids despite a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal to prohibit the practice. Garrett v. Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, No. 14-264322 (Cal. Sup. Ct. Santa Clara Cty., order entered March 30, 2017). The plaintiffs alleged Bumble Bee began making the omega-3 claim in 2008, one year after FDA published its proposed rule, but the court found that Bumble Bee ended the claim after the rule was finalized in April 2014. “The fact that Bumble Bee engaged in conduct that was proscribed by a ‘proposed’ rule does not make it unlawful or illegal,” the court said. Bumble Bee began using the omega-3 claim after a supplement maker notified FDA in 2005 that it intended to use an omega-3 nutrient content claim on its product labels. Because…
A Georgia court has dismissed with prejudice a complaint against television personality Mehmet Oz accusing the physician of making false claims about the quality of olive oil in the United States, finding that Oz’s statements were protected under a state anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) law protecting speech made in connection with an issue of public concern. N. Am. Olive Oil Assoc. v. Oz, No. 2016-283156, (Sup. Ct. Ga., Fulton Cty., order entered March 3, 2017.) The North American Olive Oil Association alleged that Oz and his guests made “false statements regarding the quality and purity” of olive oil sold in U.S. supermarkets. One of the guests was employed by olive oil producer California Olive Ranch, but the guest’s ties to the company were allegedly not disclosed on the show. The court said it had “grave concerns that the motivation for the present action falls directly within the purpose…
Three consumers have filed a lawsuit against Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. alleging the company misrepresents the calorie counts of its food in store menus, boards and advertising. Desmond v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., No. BC640700 (Cal. Super. Ct., Los Angeles Cty., filed November 15, 2016). The complaint asserts that the defendants each relied upon a menu board displaying a photo of a burrito with chorizo and "300 calories" to order what they believed to be a low-calorie option, then realized after eating it that "the burrito couldn't have been just 300 calories." The plaintiffs seek damages and attorney's fees for alleged violations of California's consumer-protection statutes. Issue 624
