Fairlife Milk Class Action Says Cows Are Treated Cruelly

Fairlife LLC and The Coca-Cola Company have been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging that the companies tout their milk products as coming from cows that are treated humanely, but these claims are untrue.

Plaintiff Kevin Ngai says that Fairlife’s packaging leads consumers to believe that the cows from where the milk is sourced are handled humanely and ethically. 

The plaintiff claims that he began buying Fairlife Milk Products in May 2018 and, before learning about the abuse to the cows, bought the products once or twice a month.

The Fairlife class action lawsuit states that the plaintiff believed that Fairlife was a “humane actor,” which was a factor in his decision to purchase the company’s products at a higher price over other similar products. In addition, the plaintiff maintains that if he had known that Fairlife’s representations were false, he would not have purchased the product.

The Fairlife class action complaint alleges that the wording on its milk represents that the company provides their cows with “extraordinary care and comfort.” In addition, the plaintiff argues that Fairlife invites their customers to visit their main headquarters in Indiana to see how their animals are treated.

“The message is clear: With each bottle, Fairlife promises consumers that their cows were not just treated well, but were provided ‘extraordinary care and comfort,’” the Fairlife class action lawsuit states.

The plaintiff says there is a friendly face of a cow on every bottle of Fairlife milk, which is directly located under the Fairlife’s name. Also, the cow cartoon is either wearing sunglasses or a monocle.

“The implication of this anthropomorphized image beneath the words ‘fair’ and ‘life’ is obvious—the life being treated fairly (or at least not cruelly) is that of the cow,” the Fairlife class action lawsuit argues.

However, the plaintiff claims that Fairlife mistreats their cows and calves, citing to a news article and videos taken from Fairlife’s flagship Fair Oaks Farms, by the Animal Recovery Mission (ARM).

“Plaintiff’s payment of the Fairlife Milk Products was at a premium since the Products were not worth their advertised prices because the statements were false and misleading,” the Fairlife class action lawsuit claims.

This is not the first lawsuit filed against Fairlife related to the treatment of their cows. A class action was filed in June 2019 by two consumers who claim that they bought the Fairlife milk on numerous occasions because it was advertised that the product was produced in a way that treated their animals humanely.

The plaintiff claims that Fairlife intentionally and negligently misrepresented their advertised products and have filed claims under California’s False or Misleading Advertising Laws.

Potential nationwide Class Members include: “All persons who purchased Fairlife Milk Products within the United States and within the applicable statute of limitations period.”

In addition, the plaintiff is proposing a similar subclass of California consumers who bought Fairlife milk.

Did you purchase milk from Fairlife because you thought they were treating their cows humanely?Leave a message in the comments section below.

The plaintiff is represented by Graham B. LippSmith and Celene Chan Andrews of Kasdan LippSmith Weber Turner LLP.

The Fairlife Milk Class Action Lawsuit is Kevin Ngai v. Fairlife LLC, et al., Case No. 2:19-cv-08148, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

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