Tag Archives: deceptive marketing

USC Learns the Hard Way

Institution of higher learning?

A recent lawsuit filed against the University of Southern California (USC) and 2U, Inc., a publicly traded company, alleges that the institution of higher education provided limited information and statistics to U.S. News & World Report. In order to draw in prospective students to online programs, USC presented favorable rankings, which were only accurate for one in-person program. According to the lawsuit, USC has established a history of supplying misleading information to U.S. News & World Report and allegedly withheld data that might have influenced a lesser rank. USC is placing blame on the dean of the Rossier School of Education. Continue reading →

Cooking Up a Class Action

Deceptive packaging

Within the realm of seemingly frivolous lawsuits, the recent claim filed by a Florida mac and cheese consumer may offer valid points of contention. According to her argument, under the guise that the food is prepared in 3.5 minutes, Kraft Heinz Company has sold a competitively higher priced selection of mac and cheese cups to its consumers. For eight 2.39 ounce cups, the product, Velveeta’s Microwavable Shells and Cheese Cups, is valued at $10.99. The consumer contends that, had she known the true timeframe of food preparation from start to finish, she might not have elected to purchase a pricier mac and cheese option. Continue reading →

Lawsuit Fails to Pacify Consumers

Frightening food options

Following complaints of toxic metals in baby food, the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy issued a request for manufacturer testing data, which indicated levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Although the report was requested in November 2019, one of the manufacturers, Beech-Nut, just recently issued a recall on June 9, 2021. Due to the discovery of high levels of naturally occurring inorganic arsenic, Beech-Nut is permanently discontinuing its infant rice cereal. As the FDA does not restrict the levels of heavy metals in baby food, this recall was voluntary. Consumers, however, are not satisfied with the recall and have filed lawsuits, claiming the heavy metals in baby food lead to issues in infant brain development. Continue reading →

Clean Up Your Marketing

Hand sanitizer awareness

As consumers flock to the grocery store shelves to retrieve their needed supplies, it is important to know that a recent lawsuit was filed against the makers of Purell hand sanitizer. For those who depend on the product’s claim that the substance within kills “99.9 percent of illness causing germs,” be aware that there are allegedly no scientific tests to back up that statement. Another advertised statistic is that “one squirt of Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer equals two squirts of other national brands, providing 2X the sanitizing strength.”  Not only do the four plaintiffs in the lawsuit disagree or challenge this assertion, but the FDA is as equally skeptical. Continue reading →

JUUL May Not Be a Polished Alternative

Young smokers at risk

In the midst of lawmakers pushing for a ban on e-cigarettes, a student, Maxwell Berger, has filed a lawsuit against JUUL Lab, Inc.  The 22-year-old suffered a stroke in July 2017, and says the cause was related to his frequent e-cigarette use.  Initially attracted to JUUL’s different products and flavors, Berger started smoking in 2015 at the age of 18.  Only a high school senior at the time, Berger was unaware of any potential side effects related to JUUL products.  It is difficult to believe that a sleek, easy-to-use pen with a variety of tasteful flavors could ever cause a stroke in a young person.  The lawsuit points the finger at JUUL’s misleading marketing tactics that lure young smokers into using their e-cigarettes.  Continue reading →