Sorry to disappoint you after all these years, but Red Bull doesn’t actually “give you wings.” For those of you who keep putting on your shiny silver, red and blue flight suit, aviator helmet and high altitude oxygen tank, this may be of little consolation but the company is willing to fork over $13 million to consumers rather than continue a court fight. In a class-action lawsuit, Red Bull did not provide scientific proof to support its claim that the energy drink would allow consumers to “sprout wings,” and declined to offer “genuine scientific support” for the claim that the caffeinated beverage could improve concentration and reaction speeds. The company decided to settle the matter instead. A payout of $13 million has been proposed, and upon approval by the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York, consumers will get the next best thing to wings: more Red Bull. Some $6.5 million will be paid from a class-action fund within a week of the settlement’s approval to anyone who has purchased at least one can of Red Bull from January 1, 2002 and October 3, 2014. The company says it has sold 40 billion cans of the product since inception. Disappointed – and wingless -- consumers can opt for a $10 check, or better yet, two free Red Bull products, with free shipping. The deadline for submission of a claim form is March 2. “The Red Bull Defendants prey upon consumers by promising that, among other things, ‘Red Bull gives you wings’ by providing a mixture of ingredients that, when ingested, significantly improve a consumers’ physiological and mental performance beyond what a simple cup of coffee or caffeine pill would ...,” the complaint stated. One of the plaintiffs in the suit claimed that even though he had consumed the beverage since 2002, he had seen no such improvement in his athletic performance. In a statement, Red Bull said that rather than incur the “cost and distraction” of litigation, the company denied all wrongdoing or liability but would withdraw a defense and offer a settlement instead
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 08:28:29 +0000
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