WASHINGTON -
A can of Red Bull won't give you wings, but those who bought the energy drink
and were disappointed could end up with a few extra bucks, thanks to a
class-action lawsuit.
According to
the Morelli Alters Ratner law firm in New York, the Austrian drink maker
recently agreed to pay $13 million to settle a false advertising complaint.
Known for
its slogan that the caffeinated drink "gives you wings," Red Bull was
sued over claims it could boost performance, concentration and reaction speed, thereby
charging a premium price, the law firm said in a statement.
"In
fact, plaintiffs allege that Red Bull doesn't provide any more benefit to
consumers than a cup of coffee," the statement read.
Anyone who
has bought Red Bull since January 1, 2002 is eligible to claim either $10 in
cash or two Red Bull products with a value of about $15, with Red Bull paying
the postage.
But if more
than 1.3 million people ask for a refund, the drink maker's $13-million limit
will kick in, so pay-out amounts would be watered-down.
Thanks to
the story being widely circulated in US media this week, the number of
claimants is likely to be high.
After
Buzzfeed wrote about the case on Wednesday, the web site for filing claims
crashed.
Red Bull
said in a statement that it settled the lawsuit to avoid the "cost and
distraction of litigation."
The
lawsuit's first plaintiff, Benjamin Careathers, who was joined later by others,
accused Red Bull in 2013 of ignoring studies in the scientific journal
Nutrition Reviews and other publications, who said Red Bull, offered no more
benefit than a regular cup of coffee.
The
settlement still needs to be approved at a May 1, 2015 court hearing in New
York.
According to
Red Bull's website, 5.3 billion cans of the drink were sold worldwide in 2013.
- AFP
culled from: http://www.enca.com
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