ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Legal Newsline) – A Minnesota man is suing a tobacco company over the alleged misrepresentation of its products as "natural."
Anthony Dunn, individually and for all others similarly situated, filed a class-action lawsuit Dec. 16 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico against Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., alleging negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and violations of Minnesota and New Mexico statutes designed to protect consumers against false advertising and unfair, deceptive, unlawful and fraudulent business practices.
Santa Fe manufactures cigarettes, including American Spirit products, which it packages and advertises as "natural." The suit claims Santa Fe intends for consumers to interpret this label as healthier or less harmful than tobacco products that are not labeled as natural, despite the company being aware that its natural products do not benefit smokers and are in fact equally as harmful as other brands.
Dunn and others in the class purchased Santa Fe's products at a premium price, believing they were healthier, and suffered damages as a result.
Dunn and other class members seek economic, compensatory, actual, treble, and all other damages to which they are entitled, plus injunctive relief, attorney fees and other costs of the suit.
They are represented by attorney Nicholas Koluncich III of the Law Offices of Nicholas Koluncich III in Albuquerque; attorneys Melissa Wolchansky and Charles D. Moore of Halunen Law in Minneapolis; attorney Charles J. LaDuca of Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca in Bethesda, Maryland; and attorney Michael R. Reese of Reese LLP in New York City.
U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico Case number 1:15-CV-01142-WPL-SCY