NAPA – A supplement company has agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle a consumer protection lawsuit brought on by several district attorneys in the Bay Area and across California over claims of false advertising.
Utah-based Evig, which does business as Balance of Nature, was ordered to pay $850,000 in civil penalties and investigative costs, along with $250,000 in restitution to customers.
Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley filed the case in Napa County Superior Court with the California Food, Drug and Medical Device Task Force. The group comprises of district attorneys in Alameda, Marin, Monterey, Orange, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma counties.
"Making misleading statements about their products and signing customers up for recurring charges without their knowledge are complete violations of the public's trust and the law," Haley said.
The company sells supplements in capsule form, purportedly made from ground-up fruit and vegetables. Prosecutors alleged that Balance of Nature made unlawful claims, not supported by "competent and reliable scientific evidence."
According to the attorneys, Balance of Nature claimed one serving of its fruit products, which weighs about 2 grams, contained the "nutritional equivalent of over 5 servings of fruits per dose."
Another claim involves the company's "Balance of Nature Fruit and Veggies" supplements, in which they claimed three capsules had as much nutrition as "from eating more than 10 servings of a salad made...
The lawsuit alleges the CCRB’s online database, 50-a.org, unfairly harms officers by listing serious accusations including sexual misconduct, racial profiling and making false official statements ...