Anne Bucher  |  August 7, 2013

Category: Legal News

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MonaVie juice class action lawsuitA putative class action lawsuit has been filed against MonaVie Inc., the maker of “superfood” juices, accusing the company of using a predatory pyramid scheme to sell fake health drinks.

In the MonaVie class action lawsuit, plaintiff Lisa Pontrelli alleges the company charges an inflated price of $45 per 25-ounce bottle of juice, which MonaVie says offers amazing health and beauty benefits. In reality, Pontrelli says, the company is engaged in false and misleading advertising.

Because MonaVie claims that its juice products will treat or cure a variety of health problems, the company has been able to convince consumers to pay an inflated price for its products, the class action lawsuit continues.

According to Pontrelli, the creator of MonaVie juice has been involved in other pyramid schemes, one of which involved the sale of another superfood juice product called Royal Tongan Limu. In her class action lawsuit, Pontrelli claims that Royal Tongan Limu was sold under a similar multilevel marketing scheme before being removed from the market.

The class action lawsuit accuses MonaVie of making promises nearly identical to those concerning Royal Tongan Limu. Both products were advertised as having significant health benefits derived from exotic superfoods discovered in remote locations. Both brands of juices were sold in containers that resemble wine bottles “in an effort to lend marketing credibility and an air of sophistication to the product.”

“The most important similarity between MonaVie Products and Royal Tongan Limu products is that both are/were marketed as having substantial prophylactic, healing, therapeutic and curative powers for an almost limited universe of diseases and conditions,” the MonaVie class action lawsuit says.

Pontrelli claims that MonaVie uses the multilevel marketing scheme to avoid accusations of false advertising, even though the company is aware that its distributors rely on false testimonials and misleading marketing tactics.

Pontrelli claims in the class action lawsuit that MonaVie set up an “elaborate network” of independent distributors who are held out to be separate, independent businesses. Because each distributor must pay for the privilege of distributing MonaVie products, independent distributors are able to increase their earnings by encouraging other individuals to become distributors of the alleged superfood juice products.

The class action lawsuit alleges that MonaVie distributors recruit “medical experts” to provide false, vague or misleading testimony about the health benefits provided by the juices. For example, a man who introduces himself as “Doctor” Lou Niles frequently touts the health benefits of the MonaVie products. Although Dr. Niles claims he is a practicing MD oncologist, he allegedly is neither an MD nor an oncologist. Pontrelli believes that MonaVie relies on fake experts to lend credibility to the products’ health claims.

According to the MonaVie class action lawsuit, a post on www.monavieforum.net states that MonaVie juices may be a viable alternative to traditional treatments for the following diseases: allergies, arthritis pain, asthma, back pain, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, intestinal disease, skin disorders, sleep apnea, stroke and weight loss. The same post suggests that consuming MonaVie every day could help prevent cancer, boost energy and alleviate stress.

Pontrelli filed the class action lawsuit on behalf of New Jersey residents who bought MonaVie products from July 2007 until the present. She alleges fraud, unjust enrichment and violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.

Pontrelli is represented by Donald A. Beshada of Beshada Farnese LLP.

The MonaVie Class Action Lawsuit is Lisa Pontrelli v. MonaVie Inc., Case No. 2:13-cv-04649, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

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28 thoughts onMonaVie Class Action Lawsuit Says Juice Claims Are Bogus

  1. Cindy says:

    when can I file

  2. Keegan says:

    For God Sake, Stop selling this products, it contains sodium benzoate and vitamin C and is carcinogenic.

    My mom got stage 1 breast cancer and went to surgery, Doctor said she is now cancer free. I bought this Monavie for her to drink then a few months later her condition worsen.

    For God Sake, stop selling this products and stop claiming it cures cancer because it contain acai berry. (Bear in mind Sodium Benzoate is dangerous to human health).

    1. Dana says:

      Get your head out of the sand. It is an anti-oxidant and that is proven to reduce the risk of disease. Don’t blame Gods plan for your Mom on a juice containing fruit. Vitamin C is not a carcinogen. Do some research before you make claims against a product that is fruit, designed to help maintain better health by providing anti-oxidants, not cure BAD HEALTH. Read VIGOR by Dr. Shawn Talbott and learn about anti-oxidants and the health benefits. You can eat all the fruit to maintain good anti-oxidant levels and reduce free radicals or you can take it in an easy delivery system, which is all MV is. I’m a believer and know I could still get cancer and other diseases. I’m no fool

  3. Holly says:

    I purchased a case after the first bottle , I saw no difference in my pain. Tried to get them to take the remaining bottle back for a refund they did not. Still have 4 bottles . What a pricy mistake.

  4. martha moore says:

    I alsao purchase some didn’t feel no better the red greenand thepurple top boottle and still have acanofthe energy drink in my frig, I want to be apart of this la wsuit fooling people thinking they going to ge t better send me aclaim MARTHA MOORE 614 DAY ST LOUISVILLE MS. 39339

    1. Dana says:

      Your first step should be to contact Mona Vie for a refund. It works great for me and my family for many different ailments, including high-cholesterol,( I have paperwork to prove this) ruptured disc pain and severe allergies. It is not a cure all. It saved and is still saving my life, though. It will raise your antioxidant levels to help you stay healthier internally and for us, with continued use has made us healthier internally and externally. We love it and will continue to use it the rest of our lives.

  5. monique hopkins says:

    I was not happy with MonaVie, did not work for me, please add me to the class action settlement.

    1. Dana says:

      Did you contact Mona Vie to return the product? That should be your first step. Results for some are immediate, others, like me it took 3 months to work into my system and it has been a life saver for me.

  6. Ronnie Warman says:

    I don’t know what this is all about. I’ve been consuming MonaVie for 5 + years now. Made very little money. I had back pain from a bulging disc. Started drinking MonaVie pain went away. I never claimed it would cure or heal anything. I don’t tell people that or make promises. If people try the product and don’t like it or notice a difference, I offer to buy back the unopened product. It is a food. A juice of 19 fruit. How much money did this lady spend before realizing it wasn’t working for her? MonaVie has NEVER CLAIMED to cure anything. There are a lot of money hungry people and I believe this lady is one of them.

  7. Ronnie Warman says:

    I don’t know what this is all about. I’ve been consuming MonaVie for 5 + years now. Made very little money. I had back pain from a bulging disc. Started drinking MonaVie pain went away. I never claimed it would cure or heal anything. I don’t tell people that or make promises. If people try the product and don’t like it or notice a difference, I offer to buy back the unopened product. It is a food. A juice of 19 fruit. How much money did this lady spend before realizing it wasn’t working for her? MonaVie has NEVER CLAIMED to cure anything. There are a lot of money hungry people and I believe this lady is one of them.

  8. Ronnie Warman says:

    I don’t know what this is all about. I’ve been consuming MonaVie for 5 + years now. Made very little money. I had back pain from a bulging disc. Started drinking MonaVie pain went away. I never claimed it would cure or heal anything. I don’t tell people that or make promises. If people try the product and don’t like it or notice a difference, I offer to buy back the unopened product. It is a food. A juice of 19 fruit. How much money did this lady spend before realizing it wasn’t working for her? MonaVie has NEVER CLAIMED to cure anything. There are a lot of money hungry people and I believe this lady is one of them.

  9. Ronnie Warman says:

    I don’t know what this is all about. I’ve been consuming MonaVie for 5 + years now. Made very little money. I had back pain from a bulging disc. Started drinking MonaVie pain went away. I never claimed it would cure or heal anything. I don’t tell people that or make promises. If people try the product and don’t like it or notice a difference, I offer to buy back the unopened product. It is a food. A juice of 19 fruit. How much money did this lady spend before realizing it wasn’t working for her? MonaVie has NEVER CLAIMED to cure anything. There are a lot of money hungry people and I believe this lady is one of them.

    1. Dana says:

      I have to agree. Sour grapes. It works for me and several members of my family and I will shout it from the mountain tops but will not guarantee it will work for others. I would hope they would have the same results that I have because it has saved my life, literally.

  10. Susan says:

    I am not disputing people’s claims that Monavie didn’t work for them, I am just sharing that Monavie does work for me and my family. Monavie contains a lot of anti oxidents. My husband and I have researched this product through outside avenues, not just what the company tells us. When I first started with Monavie I could tell a difference in my energy level within a couple of days, then my sleep became better within a month, my legs stopped hurting at night, then after a month I started missing a couple of days of Monavie because the rest of my family started taking it. I could tell that I wasn’t feeling as well so I bought more and started back and saw the same results as when I orginally started Monavie. I have twin boys who started taking Monavie while in high school. They both played several sports and experienced leg cramps. Monavie helped their leg cramps and they still take it everyday because they run and exercise. They let me know if we run out. Many people depend strictly on medications that have serious side effects and these meds also made people feel bad all the time because their organs are being damaged. The list of side effects take up 2 pages. I heard people when they see a commercial about a medication say I need that. The commercial shows people loving life with background music talking about the medication, then all of a sudden there is a man talking really really fast about the side effects of liver damage, heart problems, internal bleeding, blindness, kidney stones, and more. Then people say, “I need to go on that drug!”

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