Coors Light Isn’t Made in the Rocky Mountains, Class Action Says

MillerCoors has been hit with a class action lawsuit in Miami-Dade County, Fla., accusing the company of deceptively marketing its Coors Light beer as being made in the Rocky Mountains.

In the Coors Light class action lawsuit, plaintiff Joaquin Lorenzo concedes that MillerCoors continues to operate Coors’ famous brewery in Golden, Colo.

“However, it is no longer the sole origin of the Coors Brand of beers,” Lorenzo alleges. “Defendants now brew Coors Light in various breweries located throughout the United States but nowhere near the Rocky Mountains.”

According to the Coors Light class action lawsuit, the Coors Brewing Company merged with Canadian brewer Molson, forming the Molson Coors Brewing Company in 2004. Molson Coors joined SABMiller in 2008 to form MillerCoors. MillerCoors now markets, sells and distributes the Coors brand of beer, which is no longer exclusively brewed at the Golden, Colo. brewery.

Lorenzo claims that MillerCoors charges a premium for Coors Light based on the misrepresentation that the beer is brewed in the Rocky Mountains. He takes issue with statements used to promote Coors Light such as, “Born in the Rockies,” “What would we be without our mountains?,” “Our Mountain is brewing the World’s most refreshing beer,” “When the Mountains Turn Blue Its as Cold as the Rockies” and “Proudly brewed in the Rocky Mountain Tradition.”

According to the Coors Light class action lawsuit, these statements lead reasonable consumers to believe that Coors Light is exclusively brewed in the Rocky Mountains. Lorenzo claims that he would have purchased cheaper beer if he had known Coors Light was not exclusively made in the Rockies.

The plaintiff asserts claims of unjust enrichment and he is seeking compensatory damages on behalf of himself and others who have purchased Coors Light.

Lorenzo is not the first plaintiff to file a class action lawsuit against MillerCoors for misrepresenting the quality of its beer. Last year, MillerCoors was hit with a false advertising class action lawsuit that accuses it of misrepresenting Blue Moon beer as a craft beer and selling it at a premium price. The Blue Moon class action lawsuit alleges MillerCoors “goes to great lengths to disassociate Blue Moon beer from the MillerCoors name” and to deceive consumers into thinking Blue Moon is a craft beer.

The Blue Moon craft beer class action lawsuit is ongoing.

Other macrobreweries have also been accused of misrepresenting the quality or origin of their beers, and agreed to class action settlements to resolve the claims. Anheuser-Busch Cos. LLC has recently settled two class action lawsuits accusing the company of misrepresenting the country of origin of its beer.

In October, a federal judge gave final approval to a class action settlement over allegations Anheuser-Busch marketed Beck’s as a German import beer even though it is now made domestically.

In November, readers reported they were receiving checks in the mail from a class action settlement over allegations Anheuser-Busch misleadingly gave consumers the impression its Kirin Ichiban beer is brewed in Japan when it’s actually made right here in the United States.

Lorenzo is represented by Elizabeth Beck from Beck & Lee Trial Lawyers.