CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) – An Illinois man alleges that a brand of kombucha falsely advertises that the drinks contain more probiotic bacteria than they actually contain.
Vladislav Bazer, individually and on behalf of a class of similarly situated individuals, filed a complaint on March 6 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Brew Dr. Kombucha LLC alleging violation the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that he and class of consumers specifically purchased defendant's kombucha products because of their probiotic content and relied on the amount of probiotics stated on the product labeling. He alleges that the defendant's kombucha states on its labeling that the drinks contain "billions of probiotic bacteria," which he claims is false because independent laboratory testing revealed that the drinks contain far less probiotics.
The plaintiff holds Brew Dr. Kombucha LLC responsible because the defendant allegedly did not adequately label its products.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks award of actual or compensatory damages, and such further and other relief the court deems reasonable and just. He is represented by Myles McGuire, Evan M. Meyers and David L. Gerbie of McGuire Law PC in Chicago.
The defendant removed the case to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on April 10.
Cook County Circuit Court case number 1:18-cv-02560