Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP (“Robbins Geller”) and Law First LLC have today filed an important consumer fraud class action lawsuit against the manufacturers of the popular Nature Made® vitamins and supplements, after an extensive pre-suit investigation revealed that dozens of Nature Made® supplements contain pork gelatin, notwithstanding what is stated on the product labels.
The lawsuit seeks damages from named defendants Pharmavite LLC, Otsuka America, Inc. and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., an injunction against continued false advertising and marketing by the defendants, and various other forms of relief.
The complaint alleges that more than 120 different Nature Made®-brand dietary supplement products are distributed in the United States and around the globe, and Nature Made® has become America’s best selling supplement brand over the last seven years.
However, approximately 60 different Nature Made® supplements contain an ingredient that is not listed on the label: gelatin, a mixture of peptides and proteins produced by the extraction of collagen from the skin, boiled crushed bones, connective tissues, organs, and intestines of animals such as domesticated cattle, chicken and pigs.
According to the complaint, Nature Made® has become the supplement leader by making numerous “promises” and “guarantees” of “transparency,” “openness,” and “honesty” with the consuming public, such as expressly stating on its website that Nature Made® “goes above and beyond to guarantee to consumers that what is on the label is in the bottle.”
“If there is any universal truth with respect to America’s consumers, it is that labels matter,” said attorney Paul J. Geller.
Geller is the lead attorney handling the case for Robbins Geller, the firm serving as co-counsel in the case along with Muniza Bawaney and Rishi V. Vohra of Law First LLC.
“There are millions of consumers around the country who purchased these supplements upon the promise and guarantee that the product labels were true and that the ingredient listings were comp lete. Put simply, they weren’t,” Geller continued.
“There is no place for such unscrupulous corporate behavior, and through this lawsuit, we hope to put a stop to it,” he said.
Muniza Bawaney of Law First further noted that “everywhere in this country there are people who carefully read labels before consuming anything because their religions and lifestyle choices strictly prohibit them from ingesting pork or other animal by-products, including members of the Muslim faith, vegans and many others.
For these individuals,” Bawaney stated, “our findings are most disturbing. The American public deserves better than this and the manufacturers of Nature Made® need to understand that we are not going to sit back and let them continue to deceive consumers.”
The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California by Robbins Geller attorneys Paul J. Geller and Stuart A. Davidson, along with the Chicago law firm of Law First LLC, lawyers Muniza Bawaney and Rishi V. Vohra.
The plaintiff in the case is Bilal Elsakka, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated.
If you bought Nature Made supplements and would like to learn more about this case, please visit
www.rgrdlaw.com/naturemade or call Stuart A. Davidson at (561) 750-3000 to discuss your legal rights.
About Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP
Robbins Geller represents U.S. and international institutional investors in contingency-based securities and corporate litigation.
With nearly 200 lawyers in nine offices, the firm represents hundreds of public and multi-employer pension funds with combined assets under management in excess of $1.5 trillion.
The firm has obtained the largest recoveries in history in six of the eight categories of shareholder class action settlements and has been ranked number one in the number of shareholder class action recoveries in MSCI’s Top SCAS 50 every year since 2003.
According to Cornerstone Research, the firm’s recoveries have averaged 35% above the median for all firms over the past seven years (2005-2011).
The firm has also taken a leading role in many important actions on behalf of consumers and victims of human rights violations.
About Law First LLC
Law First LLC is a Chicago law firm with a sophisticated practice focusing on litigation matters as well as corporate and business advisory services.
The firm’s attorneys are committed to providing outstanding legal representation to their clients.
The lawyers at Law First are skilled and accomplished professionals, who collectively bring to Law First knowledge, experience and a shared vision for providing the best legal solutions.
The firm proudly serves a diverse client base at its Downtown Chicago office, comprised of businesses and individuals.
The Managing Attorneys at Law First are Muniza Bawaney and Rishi V. Vohra. Both Bawaney and Vohra are strong advocates who take their roles as trusted advisors to their clients very seriously.
Contacts
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP
Stuart A. Davidson, 561-750-3000
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