BELLEVILLE – An Illinois woman filed a class action lawsuit against a food company claiming it misrepresents its barbecue sauce as "all natural."
Plaintiff Vickie Forby filed the class action lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against SC-BCP Acquisition Co., LLC and Sokol & Co. Holdings, LLC, doing business as Gen Five Brands, citing fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and breach of express warranty in violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act (ICFA).
According to the lawsuit, SC-BCP Acquisition Co. and Sokol & Co. Holdings jointly own the Gen Five Brands, which markets and sells Jim Beam brand "All Natural" Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. Forby alleges that despite the product's claim that it is "all natural," the product contains ascorbic acid, which is an artificial, synthetic ingredient.
The plaintiff claims that by labeling the product as "all natural," the defendants intentionally and deceptively misrepresent the product as not containing any artificial ingredients in order to entice consumers to purchase the product. She alleges consumers otherwise might not purchase the sauce if they had known the truth.
Forby claims she bought the product, believing that it contained no artificial ingredients. She adds that had she known the product contained artificial ingredients, she would have not purchased the sauce at all or paid a lower price.
Forby 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 ordering the defendants 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 23LA0420