BELLEVILLE – An Illinois woman filed a class action lawsuit against ALDI, claiming the company purposely misrepresents its fruit cup products as containing "100% fruit juice."
Plaintiff Carly Blankenship filed the class action lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against ALDI Inc., citing fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and breach of express warranty in violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act (ICFA).
The lawsuit alleges Aldi sells it's brand of Lunch Buddies cherry mixed fruit in 4-ounce containers, which is expressly labeled as being "in 100% fruit juice." However, Blankenship alleges the product also contains ascorbic acid and citric acid, which are commercially produced additives that function as preservatives and is not fruit juice.
The plaintiff claims that by labeling the product as "in 100% fruit juice," ALDI intentionally and deceptively misrepresents the product as not containing any other added unnatural ingredients in order to entice consumers to purchase the product which they otherwise might not purchase if they had known the truth.
Blankenship is seeking damages for herself and everyone in her class action lawsuit plus court costs, attorney fees and any other relief the court deems proper. She is also seeking injunctive action requiring ALDI to cease from further misrepresentation of its product.
She is represented by the attorneys of Armstrong Law Firm, LLC, Nelson & Nelson, Attorneys at Law, P.C., the Law Office of Robert L. King, and Cochran Law, PLLC.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 23LA0423