BELLEVILLE — Attorneys David Nelson and Matthew Armstrong have filed another no-injury class action lawsuit against a food manufacturer for allegedly falsely advertising that the defendant's products were all natural.
St. Clair County has become a magnet for class actions targeting manufacturers for their "all natural" labeling, contributing to the St. Clair County Circuit Court's inclusion on the American Tort Reform Foundation's annual Judicial Hellholes list. St. Clair and Madison Counties were ranked eighth on the list.
The suit was filed on behalf of plaintiffs Melissa Weber and Connie Newman, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, on Nov. 16 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Conagra Brands Inc., alleging violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs allege that on numerous occasions, they purchased Conagra's 100% All Natural products after seeing labels stating that no artificial ingredients or preservatives were in the products.
However, the plaintiffs allege the defendant falsely advertised that its products were all natural when they actually contain synthetic substances.
As a result, the plaintiffs claim they were damaged for paying a premium price for a product that was not all natural.
Weber and Newman request a trial by jury and seek an order certifying this case as a class action and appointing the plaintiffs and their counsel as representatives. The plaintiffs also seek an award for compensatory and punitive damages, plus interest, attorney fees, costs and all other relief that is just and proper.
They are represented by Nelson & Nelson Attorneys at Law PC in Belleville and Armstrong Law Firm LLC in St. Louis.
St. Clair County Circuit Court Case number 18-L-733