Real Water Causes Liver Illnesses, Class Action Lawsuits Claim

UPDATE:

• Five additional lawsuits filed against Real Water, with some consumers reportedly claiming they needed a liver transplant after drinking the product.
• On March 24, 2021, a US Food and Drug Administration notice was posted about the voluntary recall of all sizes of Real Water brand drinking water due to possible health risks.

Three California consumers are taking Real Water to federal court with a class action lawsuit accusing the company of selling contaminated water, leading to serious health complications.

The nationwide class action lawsuit filed in Nevada federal court this week is the latest legal development concerning cases of liver disease and other illnesses linked to Real Water products, which have also been connected to severe health complications in children who drank the water. The plaintiffs in the class action say they suffered nausea and other concerning side-effects, including blood in one of the plaintiff’s urine, after drinking Real Water.  They filed the lawsuit on behalf of a nationwide Class of consumers who purchased Real Water in California. 

Real Water is sold nationwide and is marketed as “alkalized water infused with negative ions”; however, authorities began investigating after a series of hospitalizations were linked to the product.  

“Contrary to the aforementioned representations and promises made in respect to the Product by Defendant, the Product was defective and caused undesired side effects to consumers, including, but not limited to, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay or gray-colored bowel movements, joint pain, yellow eyes, jaundice, liver failure, hospitalization, and loss of appetite,” states the class action lawsuit reported by a Fox 5. 

Real Water is accused of negligence and violating consumer protection laws in Nevada and California.  

“Nowhere in Defendant’s advertisements, marketing or labeling of the Products does it disclose that the Product causes liver failure, hospitalization, fever, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, and/or fatigue,” states the lawsuit. “Plaintiffs would not have purchased the product, or would have paid much less for it, if they knew that they were undertaking a risk to their health by consuming it.” 

As of March 2021, the company faced a U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation, as well as at least five other lawsuits filed by individuals who claim that they or their children were hospitalized after drinking Real Water.

Last week, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on three lawsuits filed by consumers who say they were sickened after drinking Real Water. The following week, another local news source, 8 News Now, reported a total of six lawsuits filed against Real Water. While some of the lawsuits allege consumers suffered less severe health effects after drinking the water, such as vomiting or nausea, others claim to have developed acute hepatitis.

Symptoms of hepatitis include fever, fatigue, and yellowing of the skin or eyes, reports 8 News.

“We are advising consumers, restaurants and retailers to not consume, cook with, sell or serve ‘Real Water’ alkaline water until more information is known about the cause of the illnesses,” the FDA said in its warning issued March 16. 

Real Water responded to the initial reports on March 17, 2021, with the company’s owner, Brent A. Jones, asking retailers to pull the product from the shelves. Jones has since posted a video addressing the FDA’s investigation to the company’s website.  

“First of all, we would like to express our deepest condolences and concerns about the events that led to the investigation,” states Jones in the video. Jones continues, asserting that he founded the company 13 years ago, “with the intention of offering a healthy product that would promote and improve people’s lifestyles. We are deeply saddened to learn that anything else could be the result.” 

Subsequently, the company has issued a recall of all sizes of Real Water brand drinking water. A notice posted by the FDA on March 24 states that the recall was issued as a precautionary measure due to possible health risks, noting that the “product may be linked to instances of non-viral hepatitis.”

“Consumers who may have recalled products should discard it immediately and not drink it,” warns the notice, which also provides instructions for consumers who purchased the product in-store or have a distribution agreement with Real Water.

The company is not a stranger to class action litigation. In 2016, it was accused of selling bottled tap water to Nevada consumers at a premium price in a false advertising class action lawsuit. 

This is a developing story that Top Class Actions will continue to monitor. Click “Follow Article” above to receive updates!

Have you purchased Real Water? Did you suffer any illnesses after drinking the product? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below! 

The plaintiffs are represented by David Hilton Wise of Wise & Donahue.  

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