Dr. Oz Hit With Class Action over ‘Miracle’ Weight Loss Supplement Claims

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A class action lawsuit has been filed against Dr. Mehmet C. Oz and a company that makes weight loss pills that were featured on his popular television show.

Plaintiff Veda Woodward of California filed the class action lawsuit Tuesday in California federal court, alleging she was duped into purchasing nutritional products sold by Labrada Bodybuilding Nutrition Inc. because Dr. Oz touted them as “revolutionary fat busters” that contained “magic ingredients.”

In reality, Woodward argues, the weight loss products “are only effective at trimming the wallets of unsuspecting customers.”

According to the weight loss supplement class action lawsuit, Labrada Bodybuilding Nutrition is a company that was founded by Lee Labrada, a world-renowned bodybuilder.

Woodward filed the Dr. Oz class action lawsuit on behalf of herself and other purchasers of Labrada weight loss supplements such as the “Labrada Garcinia Cambogia DUAL ACTION FAT BUSTER,” the “Labrada Green Coffee Bean Extract FAT LOSS OPTIMIZER,” the “Labrada Raspberry Ketones METABOLIC ENHANCER” and the “Labrada FAT BUSTER FAT LOSS AID.”

According to the Labrada supplements class action lawsuit, sales of the weight loss products “exploded” after they were featured on “The Doctor Oz Show” in a segment titled “Five Biggest Fat Busters for Five Body Types in Just Five Days.” In the segment, Dr. Oz allegedly touted the “magic” benefits of Green Coffee beans, Garcinia Cambogia and Raspberry Ketones.

“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,” the Dr. Oz class action lawsuit says. “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.”

When making the choice to purchase the Labrada weight loss products, Woodward says she relied on the representations made on “The Doctor Oz Show” as well as the representations made on the product labels. According to the weight loss supplement class action lawsuit, Woodward would not have purchased the Labrada products had she known the representations were false.

Woodward alleges that Dr. Oz deceives consumers about the ingredients in weight loss products and misrepresents his ties to the dietary supplement industry. According to the Labrada class action lawsuit, Dr. Oz conceals his association with supplement companies, even though he was allegedly paid by Labrada and other defendants to promote Green Coffee Bean Extract, Garcinia Cambogia and Raspberry Ketones on “The Doctor Oz Show.”

Further, Woodward asserts that there is no credible evidence to support the claims that supplements containing green coffee beans, Garcinia Cambogia and Raspberry Ketones help users lose weight. According to the Labrada class action lawsuit, “scammers flock to the weight-loss supplement industry to make a quick buck.” Woodward claims that the defendants took advantage of Americans who are desperate to find a way to lose weight easily by selling them a bunch of worthless diet pills.

The Labrada class action lawsuit asserts claim for negligent misrepresentation, breach of implied and express warranty, and violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law, and the Consumer Legal Remedies Act.

Woodard is represented by Ronald A. Marron, Skye Resendes and Michael T. Houchin of the Law Offices of Ronald A. Marron.

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

UPDATE: On July 31, 2017, the makers of Labrada brand weight loss pills endorsed by Dr. Oz will continue to face false advertising claims following denial of their motions to dismiss.

UPDATE 2: On June 15, 2018, Dr. Oz and his television show’s producers reportedly agreed to pay $5.25 million to settle a class action lawsuit claiming he misrepresented the effectiveness of Labrada brand weight loss pills.