When a company calls one or more of its food products “All Natural” it better deliver on the promise of 100% natural ingredients. Drew’s LLL found that out the hard way by agreeing to settle a class action lawsuit brought by a plaintiff who alleged the salad dressing company lied about its “All Natural” claim. In fact, many of the salad dressings sold by Drew’s contained two synthetic ingredients.
Consumers that purchased any of the products included in the class action lawsuit might be eligible to become class members who receive a cash refund as part of the class action settlement.
Here are the products covered by the Drew’s LLC class action lawsuit:
- Greek Olive
- Raspberry
- Chipotle Ranch
- Poppy Seed
- Soy Ginger
- Creamy Buttermilk Ranch
- Honey Mustard
- Sesame Orange
- Shiitake Ginger
- Lemon Tahini Goddess
- Smoked Tomato
- Rosemary Balsamic
- Roasted Garlic & Peppercorn
- Thousand Island
- Romano Caesar
- Thai Sesame Lime
Primary plaintiff Gherson Tovar filed the class action lawsuit in June of 2016. Tovar took offense with Drew’s deceptive business practice of falsely labeling the company’s products as All Natural Salad Dressings and Quick Marinades. The plaintiff charges Drew’s with adding citric acid and/or xanthan gum, which represents a synthetic ingredient that thickens sauces and marinades.
Tovar’s asserted that “reasonable consumers” should not expect to discover artificial ingredients in a product deemed “All Natural.” The lawsuit also asserts consumers that discovered the artificial ingredients on the label would probably not know the ingredients are synthetic. Drew’s denies all of the lawsuit allegations, but to avoid a costly trial and the potential of paying numerous monetary awards, the company decided to settle the class action lawsuit. On February 15, 2017, Drew’s class action lawsuit settlement received preliminary court approval.
What You Need to Know
Class members that decide to opt out of the lawsuit or contest to the settlement must do so by May 1, 2017. The class action settlement applies to consumers that bought any of the covered products for personal consumption between June 15, 2011 and February 15, 2017. Potential maximum award from the class action settlement is $10. Every class member that files a claim form receives 50 cents for each product covered under the settlement up to 20 products. Proof of purchase must be a store receipt that itemizes purchases. The deadline for filing a claim form for the case Gherson Tovar v. Drew’s LLC, Case No. 16-L-313, in the Circuit Court of St. Clair County, Illinois is July 15, 2017. The final hearing takes place on May 16, 2017.
Consumers that want updates on the class action settlement should access the website www.NoticeClass.com/DrewsSettlement.
Here is the short list of class counsel:
Stuart L. Cochran-Steckler Gresham Cochran PLLC
Matthew H. Armstrong-Armstrong Law Firm
David C. Nelson-Nelson & Nelson Attorneys at Law PC
