FTC Wins Case Against Diet Marketers

BRIDGEPORT, Conn.The marketers of an herbal tea and diet patch were ordered to pay nearly $2 million to FTC by a federal district court, after the presiding judge ruled the companies used deceptive marketing claims about the products ability to help users lose weight without diet or exercise. FTC filed the complaint against Bronson Partners LLC and its officer, Martin Howard, in November 2004; FTCs request for summary judgment against the defendants was granted in July 2008.

In its complaint, FTC charged the defendants with marketing its Chinese Diet Tea with unsubstantiated claims that the tea could help consumers lose as much as six pounds a week when consumed after meals to neutralize the absorption of fattening foods. Further, the companys Bio-Slim Patch, which contained certain herbal extracts, was claimed to help consumers lose repulsive, excess fatty tissue at a spectacular rate.

The December 2009 judgment, filed by Judge Stefan R. Underhill in U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut, orders Bronson Partners and Howard to pay nearly $2 million, citing obvious and widespread violations of the FTC Act. Furthermore, the defendants are prohibited from deceptively selling or advertising any weight-loss products in the future, and must assist FTC with information on consumers who purchased the products to allow for restitution.