Courts » Illinois A.G. also targets Crush of Sandy for deceptive business practices.
Oprah Winfrey has sued three Utah companies over unauthorized use of the TV talk-show hostess’ name and image to promote nutritional supplements, and the Illinois attorney general also is suing one of them alleging fraudulent business practices.
The lawsuits involving about 50 entities are a frontal assault by Winfrey on those that have been using her name and that of Mehmet Oz, a doctor who appears frequently on her show, without permission to promote products for colon cleansing and combat aging.
“We know that thousands of people have been misled by these marketing practices,” said Marc Rachman, the attorney for Oz and Winfrey and companies that manage their images and trademarks, on Friday. “Oprah.com has received e-mail in the thousands from people who believe Oprah and Dr. Oz are affiliated with these products and have endorsed them when they haven’t.”
Named in the Winfrey lawsuit are Monavie, the high flying South Jordan company selling a drink based on the açai berry of Brazil; Crush LLC of Sandy; and 456 Vital Health Systems LLC of Spanish Fork.
The attorney general of Illinois also has sued Crush and its parent company, TMP Nevada, alleging violations of that state’s consumer fraud and deceptive business practices act.
The Winfrey suit alleges that after Oz, who practices at the Columbia University Medical Center, appeared several times on the show discussing health issues, the defendant companies began to market products falsely using their names as endorsements.
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