5 Fast Facts to Know About the Dr. Oz Garcinia Cambogia Class Action Lawsuit
Dr. Oz has a reputation for calling just about anything a “miracle weight loss cure”. Finally, that reputation may have caught up to the controversial TV doctor.
As TMZ revealed this week, Dr. Oz is getting sued over a “magic weight-loss cure” he advertised on The Dr. Oz Show.
Garcinia Cambogia Class Action Lawsuit
That class action lawsuit is related to weight loss supplements containing Garcinia Cambogia, the trendy fruit extract purportedly linked to appetite suppression and weight loss benefits. Despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting the dietary ingredient, Garcinia cambogia has been one of the hottest diet pill ingredients in recent years.
The popularity of Garcinia cambogia diet pills can be linked directly back to Dr. Oz, who called Garcinia a “miracle” weight loss cure on his show in 2012.
That claim led to a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit against Dr. Oz in 2014. As part of that lawsuit, he was forced to testify before a Senate committee.
So in short, this isn’t Dr. Oz’s first time getting in trouble for marketing diet pills with dubious evidence. With that in mind, here are 5 fast facts you need to know about the Dr. Oz garcinia cambogia class action lawsuit.
The Recent Lawsuit is Related to the “Five Biggest Fat Busters” Episode
In a recent episode of The Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Oz covered a variety of different fat burning ingredients that have purportedly been linked to various weight loss benefits.
That episode was titled “Five Biggest Fat Busters for Five Body Types in Just 5 Days”.
As part of that episode, Dr. Oz specifically promoted a Garcinia cambogia supplement made by a company called Labrada.
Dr. Oz called the ingredient a revolutionary fat buster that “could be the magic ingredient that lets you lose weight without diet or exercise.”
The Lawsuit Was Filed By a Dr. Oz Viewer Who Suffered Damages from the Recommendation
A consumer filed the class action lawsuit against Dr. Oz on behalf of all purchasers of the supplement.
That lawsuit alleges that the diet pills recommended by Dr. Oz are not based on any evidence but are presented as such.
The lawsuit also describes how the “Oz Effect” caused sales of the supplement to skyrocket.
Oz Previously Admitted Before a Senate Committee in 2014 that His Recommendations Aren’t Based on Science
Dr. Oz got into trouble in 2014, when he had to testify about this same garcinia cambogia supplement in front of a Senate panel.
During the Senate panel questioning, he leaned on evidence from one scientific study that supports the weight loss claims of Garcinia cambogia.
The recent lawsuit, however, points out that the study has since been discredited. Thus, the one piece of evidence that Dr. Oz used to support his Garcinia cambogia recommendations has disappeared, leaving Dr. Oz without a crutch to stand on. Because of this, his Garcinia cambogia recommendation is made without any shred of reasonable evidence supporting it.
The Lawsuit Claims that “All Credible Scientific Evidence” Shows Garcinia Cambogia Doesn’t Work
The latest class action lawsuit against Dr. Oz claims that there is no credible scientific evidence linking Garcinia cambogia to any reasonable weight loss results.
According to the suit, “all credible scientific evidence” shows that garcinia cambogia simply doesn’t work.
The Lawsuit Targets Dr. Oz and Others
The lawsuit is targeting more than just Dr. Oz: the plaintiffs are going after Dr. Oz, Labrada, Harpo Production, and others to get their money back plus damages.
Update: Dr. Oz Responds
According to TMZ, a representative for the Dr. Oz show responded to their request and claimed that the latest class action lawsuit attacks Dr. Oz’s right to free speech:
“As we have always explained to our viewers, the Dr. Oz Show does not sell these products nor does he have any financial ties to these companies.”
Of course, Dr. Oz recently joined a multilevel marketing company that sells nutritional supplements very similar to the Garcinia cambogia supplements targeted in this lawsuit. That company is named USANA, which is described by some as a “pyramid scheme”.
Stay tuned as this class action lawsuit moves forward and we learn if there will be any consequences for Dr. Oz or the Dr. Oz Show.
Who do I contact to be involved in this lawsuit? I want to tell my story.
I have been trying to get the Garcinia complexplus.com to refund me the $187.62 they took out of my account back in September 2016. I would love to be contacted about this law suite. I have filed a complaint with the BBB and tried to file one with the local police at the direction of my bank. The police said I have no proof that a crime was committed. Please let me know if there is any thing more I can do at this time.
Hi Daniele Rogers the Same websit took money out of my account they took $100.00 and I never approved of it I had a free trial and then 5 days later was charged. I am fighting to get my money back but I am having no luck. Hope you get something done so people can stop getting taken advantage of.
How or who do I contact to be involved in these class action lawsuits because I hand a claim.
Snake oil salesman!
Dr Oz is a fraud and hypocrite.
Thank you very much for this info.