A new online video seeks to draw attention to trial lawyer abuse of consumer protection act laws by featuring a parody of a $13.5 million lawsuit against Red Bull, brought because the energy drink failed to give consumers wings.
Sick of Lawsuits, an online project of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, released the video in early October.
Viewers are immediately told the energy drink company “was forced” to pay $13.5 million because the drink did not give consumers wings. Next, a pair of pigs, one older the other young and wearing a beanie, are seen drinking Red Bull then purposefully driving off a cliff. They plummet through the roof of a law office, Pig@Law, on their way down.
A pig lawyer inside the building, seemingly unfazed by the incident, casually strolls over the car where the younger pig hands him a can of Red Bull, prompting dollar signs to bulge out of his eyes.
The video concludes by telling viewers class members received $10 cash or free energy drink products, while plaintiffs’ attorneys collected a “cool $3.4 million” from the litigation against Red Bull.
Maryann Marino, regional director for California CALA, says consumer protection act laws were designed to protect the public from false or misleading advertising, but have been widely abused and manipulated by personal injury lawyers for personal gain, who are increasingly bringing consumer class actions leveled against both food producers and sellers.
“While CPA laws once appropriately limited themselves to regulating real consumers’ direct relationships with merchants, too many today enable frivolous lawsuits by consumers with no relationship to a merchant that they allege injured them,” Marino told the Record.
“As many of these laws don’t require proof of harm, personal injury lawyers are increasingly finding ways to create bogus lawsuits when no one is harmed. I would like to know how many people in this class action lawsuit were actually hurt because they really thought they had wings.”
The suit against Red Bull was brought by Benjamin Careathers and filed in New York federal court in 2013.