It turns out that even beverage giants aren’t immune from the recent outbreak of lawsuits infecting the industry. Earlier this week, the JD Journal reported that Coca-Cola was hit with a lawsuit claiming that the name and marketing of the company’s Simply Orange brand are misleading. The suit, filed in an Illinois federal court last Friday, contends that the beverage is not simple orange juice; rather, it is juice that is heavily processed and contains added flavorings and constituents to change its color, consistency, taste, and aroma.
In the lawsuit, plaintiff Randall Davis states that chemically engineered “flavor packs” are added to Simply Orange, yet consumers pay a premium for the product based on their belief that the juice fresh and untainted by artificial ingredients. The lawsuit claims “Coca-Cola misrepresented that Simply Orange was 100% pure and natural orange juice when in fact it was not.”
Davis is accusing Coke of fraud and misrepresentation and pursuing class-action status.
In response to media inquiries about the lawsuit, Coca-Cola spokeswoman Susan Stribling stated, “This lawsuit has nothing to do with misleading consumers and everything to do with lining class action lawyers’ pockets … it is a meritless case against which we will vigorously defend ourselves.”