NEW ORLEANS (Legal Newsline) - A Louisiana woman is suing a pet food distributor over its promise of only using the finest natural ingredients.
Stephanie Douglas, individually and for others similarly situated, filed a class action suit in the Parish of Orleans Civil District Court against The Blue Buffalo Co., alleging false or misleading advertising. The defendant removed the case to federal court in July.
According to the suit, Douglas and others bought Blue Buffalo Co. products based in part on their True Blue Promise, a label feature which guarantees the products are suitable for the ingredient-conscious pet owner.
The label states that the product uses "no chicken or poultry by-product meals"; "no corn, wheat or soy"; and "no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors." Blue Buffalo charges a premium for these all-natural products, the complaint says.
However, scientific testing showed that Blue Buffalo Products do contain, at some instance or another, all of the above ingredients, the suit alleges.
As a result, Douglas and others in the suit were overcharged and mislead by the True Blue Promise.
Douglas and others seek compensatory, statutory, and punitive damages and restitution, plus court costs. She is represented by Robert G. Harvey Sr. and Donald C. Douglas, Jr. of the Law Offices of Donald C. Douglas Jr. in Mandeville, La.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana case number 2:15-cv-02891-MLCF-KWR.