Beck’s Beer False Ad Class Action Settlement Gets Final OK

A federal judge in a U.S. District Court in Florida issued his final approval Tuesday for a settlement to be paid by Anheuser-Busch for their alleged false advertising of Beck’s beer.

The settlement of up to $20 million was reached as a response to a pending class action lawsuit that alleged that Beck’s beer is a domestically made product that was marketed as a German import beer.

The original Beck’s beer class action lawsuit was filed in October 2013 and a settlement was preliminarily approved on June 23, 2015.  The complaint stated that Anheuser-Busch misled consumers to think the beer was still imported from Germany. These claims were made on the bottle and packaging of the beer using the statements “Originated in Germany,” possessing “German Quality,” and “Brewed Under the German Purity Law of 1516.”

According to the amended class action lawsuit, the plaintiffs maintained that Beck’s was brewed in Germany with European ingredients for 225 years. In 2002, Beck’s was bought by a Belgian company and after a number of sales and mergers with various companies, finally became a brand under Anheuser-Busch.

Ten years after its acquisition, Beck’s began to be produced in the United States to save on shipping costs, according to the false advertising class action lawsuit. The plaintiffs assert that the labeling was not reflected prominently on the package to accurately reflect the country of production, and yet was still sold at the higher import premium price. In fact, the plaintiffs allege any reference to domestic production is only visible to consumers after purchase.

In April 2014, Anheuser-Busch filed a motion to dismiss the Beck’s beer class action lawsuit, saying that the import pricing the plaintiffs paid for domestic beer should have been addressed with retailers, not the company who produces the product. The judge allowed the claims for overpaying for the beer and allowed plaintiffs to continue with their counts against the company for unjust enrichment and violations of consumer protection laws in Florida, New York and California.

Despite recent objections that the Class Members’ recovery amount in the settlement was too small and the fee for class counsel was too large, the Beck’s beer settlement reached via mediation was approved.

The settlement allows consumers who purchased Becks Pilsner, Light, Dark and Oktoberfest beers between May 1, 2011 through June 23, 2015 to claim refunds depending on the quantity of beers purchased. Members can claim 10 cents per bottle or can to a range of $1.75 for a 20-pack of bottles.

The claim deadline for Class Members is Nov. 20, 2015, and each household can claim up to $50 total if they have receipts, and $12 without receipts. For detailed claim filing instructions, click here or visit www.BecksBeerSettlement.com.

 The settlement also requires Anheuser-Busch to change their packaging to prominently display “Brewed in USA” or “Product of USA” on the front and back of packaging for bottles and cans for five years.

Despite their agreement to pay out a large settlement, Anheuser-Busch continues to deny allegations of wrongdoing.

Vice President of Marketing, Jorn Socquet, said in a statement Tuesday, “We believe our labeling, packaging and marketing of Beck’s has always been truthful, transparent and in compliance with all legal requirements. A-B brews Beck’s to the highest-quality standards, and is proud to employ the finest American brewmasters to produce Beck’s for the U.S. market.”

The plaintiffs are represented by Lance A. Harke and Howard Mitchell Bushman of Harke Clasby & Bushman LLP, T. Tucker Ronzetti, Tal J. Lifshitz and Adam M. Moskowitz of Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton PA, John Campbell of Campbell Law LLC and Robert William Rodriguez of Robert W. Rodriguez PA.

The Beck’s Beer False Advertising Class Action Lawsuit is Marty, et al. v. Anheuser-Busch Cos. LLC, Case No. 1:13-cv-23656, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

UPDATE: On Apr. 20, 2016, the Beck’s Beer Class Action Settlement is currently under appeal.  Claims will not be paid until all appeals are exhausted.  We appreciate your ongoing  patience. Top Class Actions will continue to provide updates as we learn more.  Keep checking back and let us know when you receive a check in the comments section below or on our  Facebook page.

UPDATE 2: On Apr. 27, 2016, a viewer reported receiving the following message from the Settlement Administrator: “The appeals process has recently been resolved. We do not have an estimated distribution date, but we are prepping for a Class Distribution within the next month or so.”  Top Class Actions will continue to provide updates as we learn more.  Keep checking back and let us know when you receive a check in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

UPDATE 3: On July 2, 2016, Top Class Actions readers who filed a claim for the Beck’s beer class action settlement started receiving checks worth as much as $12. 

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