Love may be in the air on Valentine’s Day, but that isn’t the case when it comes to these ridiculous lawsuits. In honor of the holiday, here are five of the most ridiculous Faces of Lawsuit Abuse stories about food—and trying to find love—from the past few years:
1. A plaintiff sued Tootsie Rolls because he says it’s “unfair” that the candies are made with sugar and trans fats instead of healthier ingredients. The lawsuit also claims Tootsie Rolls create an unfair candy marketplace for competitors.
2. A man sued Ben & Jerry’s for allegedly misleading consumers because the company says the milk and cream used to make their ice cream came from “happy cows.” But at the time, only part of the dairy came from farms enrolled in the company’s “Caring Dairy” program. The rest came from traditional farms as the program expanded. Luckily, the case was dismissed after the judge said the “happy cows” claim was merely an opinion and no reasonable consumer would buy its ice cream solely based on its “Caring Dairy” label.
3. A man sued Godiva, claiming the company committed “massive fraud” for including “Belgium 1926” on their label and charging more than other chocolate companies. Godiva was founded in Belgium in 1926, but its website says it makes its chocolate in the U.S., in Pennsylvania.
4. This lawsuit isn’t food-related, but for some people, finding love can be tough as you get older. An older man petitioned a Dutch court to let him legally change his age from 69 to 49 in hopes of having better luck on dating sites. The man argued that he felt two decades younger and wanted the date on his birth certificate to reflect the age he felt.
5. Tootsie Roll was the target of another lawsuit. This time, a woman sued the company because she claimed its Junior Mints candy boxes weren’t full enough, even though the amount of candy was listed on the box.
While these lawsuits make for a good laugh, the truth is that food-related lawsuits have reached record levels. ILR research found class action lawsuits over food and beverage labeling (like some of the lawsuits above) have increased by 52 percent since 2017, with most of these lawsuits filed in states like California, New York, and Illinois. Often, class members take home pennies on the dollar while lawyers make millions.
ILR’s Faces of Lawsuit Abuse shines a light on some of the most ridiculous lawsuits filed by plaintiffs’ lawyers and the impact these lawsuits have on businesses and consumers. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.