PORTLAND, Maine (Legal Newsline) — Maine Attorney General Janet T. Mills announced Feb. 22 that her office and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have filed a complaint against nine defendants for an allegedly deceptive campaign to sell health supplements in violation of both state and federal laws.
The defendants sold two products that are the subject of the lawsuit – Flexiprin for joint health and Cogniprin for memory improvement. The defendants allegedly used deceptive business practices during the advertising, marketing, distribution and sale of these products. According to the lawsuit, the defendants lied about the efficacy and testing of their products. Additionally, the defendants purportedly enrolled consumers in hard-to-get-out-of automatic monthly payment plans.
“This scheme misled people into thinking they were getting medically proven products to improve their memory and joint health,” Mills said. “The defendants’ products appealed to vulnerable populations who had memory issues and pain and who were taken advantage of by fine print that was not fully disclosed. Consumers also were misled about the true costs of the products and how they could get their money back. These products offered false promises based on false advertising. These companies fleeced Americans of millions of dollars. We appreciate the assistance and cooperation of the FTC in bringing this campaign of deception to an end.”
Six defendants have agreed to settlements. More than $500,000 total in monetary judgments have been proposed.