Dr. Oz Hit With Class Action Over Weight Loss Supplement Garcinia Cambogia

Celebrity health expert, Dr. Mehmet Oz is currently facing a class action lawsuit over the weight loss supplement containing Garcinia Cambogia that he promoted on his television show where he endorsed the weight loss supplement calling it a “magic weight loss cure.”

Garcinia Cambogia, which is a supplement that claims to aid weight loss by burning fat quicker and curbing appetite is the supplement in question.

Dr. Oz promoted the weight loss supplements, manufactured by Labrada Bodybuilding Nutrition Inc. on his television show while allegedly knowing that the herbal supplements have no scientific proof that they are effective in shedding those unwanted pounds.

The class action lawsuit, filed in California federal court earlier this month, stated that the TV personality flaunted the drug as the “magic ingredient that lets you lose weight without diet or exercise.”

Dr. Oz described Garcinia Cambogia as a “revolutionary fat buster, which could be the magic ingredient that lets you lose weight without diet or exercise.”

Lead plaintiff Vera Woodard claims she was duped into purchasing the diet pills, specifically the Labrada Garcinia Cambogia Dual Action Fat Buster, the Labrada Green Coffee Bean Extract Fat Loss Optimizer, and the Labrada Raspberry Ketones Metabolic Enhancer products when they were promoted on Dr. Oz’s day time talk show as a miracle weight loss product.

According to the weight loss supplement class action lawsuit, there is no scientific evidence to support Dr. Oz’s claims.

“As a renowned surgeon at Columbia University with specialized medical and scientific knowledge, Dr. Oz knew that the claims he was making about the supplements being ‘miracle fat busters’ were patently false or misleading consumers,” Woodard stated.

“Dr. Oz concealed his fraud by affirmatively representing to consumers that he was giving his objective opinion about the products based on his specialized knowledge,” she added.

This isn’t the first time the celebrity doctor has put himself in trouble for promoting Garcinia Cambogia. In 2014, he was investigated by lawmakers in the Senate. During that hearing, the doctor cited a scientific study that has since been refuted.

Woodard seeks to represent a nationwide class of consumers who purchased the phony weight loss supplement under false pretenses and has brought forth charges including negligent misrepresentation, breach of implied and express warranty, and violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law, Consumer Legal Remedies Act and False Advertising Law.

The Weight Loss Supplements Class Action Lawsuit is Vera Woodard v. Lee Labrada et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-00717, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

About Garcinia Cambogia

Made from a tropical fruit known as Garcinia Cambogia, seller Labrada claims that ingesting two capsules containing 1,560 milligrams of the powdered fruit, will reduce body weight, curb appetite and food intake and boost fat burning during exercise, among other things.

However, multiple studies have found that Garcinia Cambioga was no more effective in helping people lose weight than a placebo pill. A 2013 study found that although Garcinia extract was safe to use, its effectiveness against obesity remained unproven in “larger-scale and longer-term clinical trials.”

Labrada advertises Garcinia Cambogia as a ‘fat loss aid’, explaining that the Hydroxycitric Acid isolated from the fruit helps control cravings and prevents body fat from being made.  Although the site does not specifically advertise Dr. Oz’s endorsement, a number of the reviews mention that they decided to try the product after it was mentioned on his show.

If you purchased weight loss supplement products containing Garcinia Cambogia, Green Coffee Bean Extract, and Raspberry Ketones, and they did not work as advertised, you may have a legal claim.