Two St. Louis County residents filed a class-action lawsuit on Feb. 6 against Walgreen Co. claiming fraudulent sale and labeling of certain nutritional supplements.
Dale Kardasz and Rafael Figueiredo filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division, against Walgreens for allegedly misrepresenting a product line called “Finest Nutrition." Certain herbs sold under this trademark are supposed to include gingko biloba, St. John’s wort, ginseng, echinacea and garlic.
The suit claims the products do not contain the above ingredients and that substitutions were made in the form of fillers. The lawsuit cites a 2013 study by independent researchers claiming that ingredients in many American supplements were mislabeled. The U.S. attorney general sent a cease and desist letter to Walgreen’s addressing this matter on Feb. 2.
Kardasz claims he and other class members were therefore defrauded of their money. The suit claims Walgreens concealed and omitted accurate product information, thus posing possible risks to consumers.
The suit seeks an injunctive order, compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs. Kardasz is represented by John F. Medler Jr., of the Medler Law Firm, LLC, Clayton, Missouri; Timothy A. Engelmeyer and Anthony M. Pezzani of Engelmeyer & Pezzani, LLC, Chesterfield, Missouri, and Ronnie G. Penton of The Law Offices of Ronnie G. Penton, Bogalusa, Louisiana.