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Alamilla v. Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
Citations: 30 F. Supp. 3d 943; 2014 WL 3361761; 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 101867Docket: Case No. 13-cv-05595-VC
Court: District Court, N.D. California; July 3, 2014; Federal District Court
The court issued an Order of Dismissal with Prejudice regarding a class action lawsuit filed by Samuel Alamilla and Colleen King against Hain Celestial Group, Inc., BluePrint Wholesale LLC, and ZSBPW LLC. The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants’ juice products were misleadingly labeled and advertised, specifically claiming that the juices are “100% Raw” and “Unpasteurized,” and that pasteurization depletes vitamins and enzymes. While the plaintiffs acknowledged that these representations are not literally false, they argued that the pressure treatment used by the defendants to preserve the juice also diminishes its nutritional value in a manner similar to pasteurization, and that this lack of disclosure is misleading. However, the complaint was found to be undermined by two articles incorporated by reference, which concluded that pressure treatment has little to no adverse effects on the nutritional quality of foods compared to pasteurization. The court noted that these articles contradict the plaintiffs’ core claim that pressure treatment significantly devalues the juice's nutrition. It established that courts are not obliged to accept allegations that are contradicted by referenced documents. The plaintiffs' inability to align their claims with the findings in the cited literature led the court to dismiss the complaint with prejudice, indicating a final resolution without the possibility of re-filing.