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KamaAina

(78,249 posts)
Wed Aug 24, 2016, 09:47 PM Aug 2016

‘Too much ice’ and other reasons people attacked America’s favorite brands

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/too-much-ice-starbucks-lawsuits-000000464.html

A federal judge has dismissed a proposed class action a disgruntled Starbucks (SBUX) customer filed against the company in May. That lawsuit claimed that “Starbucks’ advertising practices are clearly meant to mislead customers when combined with the standard practice of filling a cold drink cup with far less liquid than the cup can hold.”...

Richard Overton sued Anheuser-Busch for $10,000 in 1991, claiming the company was falsely advertising its beer and the magical effects it would have on his dating life. Anheuser-Busch (BUD) had a series of ads that depicted men drinking beer and surrounded by throngs of beautiful women. He claimed that these ads caused him emotional distress, mental injury and financial loss. Needless to say, this case was dismissed....

In 2005, Anna Ayala claimed to bite into a 1 ½ inch “crunchy” finger while chowing on a cup of Wendy’s (WEN) chili. However, lab tests determined there were no traces of saliva on the finger AND that the finger quote “was not consistent with an object that had been cooked in chili at 170 degrees for three hours.” After further investigation, it turned out that Ayala’s husband had bought the finger from a co-worker — who had lost it in an accident — for $100. Wendy’s claimed that Ayala’s claims inflicted more than $2.5 million in lost revenue for the company and ultimately, Ayala was sentenced to nine years in prison, of which she served four....

And sometimes it’s not the fast food companies that are under fire — they’re the targets. Last summer, there were false rumors circulating that KFC was genetically modifying its meat and manufacturing an 8-legged, 6-winged chicken to its customers. KFC’s parent company, Yum Brands (YUM), sued three Chinese companies that were spreading the rumors on social media. Each of the firms have been ordered to pay KFC a combined 600,000 yuan, or a little under $100,000. KFC had originally sought 1.5 million yuan from each company.


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