美国联邦法官驳回针对好市多「100%龙舌兰」标示的集体诉讼
Federal Judge Dismisses Suit Against Costco Over 100% Agave Claims
上周五（10月16日），一名美国联邦法官驳回了针对好市多（Costco）及其自有品牌Kirkland Signature的集体诉讼。该案由消费者权益律所Hagens Berman于去年11月向美国华盛顿西区联邦地区法院（西雅图）提起，共14名原告，指控好市多Kirkland的Blanco、Reposado、Añejo、Añejo Cristalino与Extra Añejo等龙舌兰酒标示「100% de agave」「100% agave azul」属欺诈与误导。原告援引位点特异性天然同位素分馏核磁共振（SNIF-NMR）检测结果，称产品含有显著的非龙舌兰糖分，并称好市多还涉嫌取得虚假的「100% de agave」认证，其龙舌兰酒在美国售价为18.69至48.99美元。好市多一方以在墨西哥进行的产品检测（结果与原告的SNIF-NMR不同）抗辩，并援引此前同类案件中美国法官认定SNIF-NMR不足以推翻「100% de agave」标示的判例。原文还提到，上月纽约一名法官也以检测不足为由驳回了针对帝亚吉欧旗下Casamigos与Don Julio的同类诉讼，而针对818 Tequila「100% agave」标示的集体诉讼仍在进行。价格保留原文美元，未换算；本文为诉讼事实陈述，不含买卖建议。
全文已用浏览器UA直抓读完（VinePair直抓默认UA与WP接口均403，换浏览器UA后200全文可读）。联邦法院驳回集体诉讼是已发生的硬行业事实，涉及头部零售商自有品牌龙舌兰的标示合规与检测证据标准，信息完整，带fact精选，评分78。
On Friday, a federal judge dismissed a class action lawsuit against Costco and its private label Kirkland Signature that alleged the “100% de agave” claims on its tequila bottles were fraudulent and misleading. The consumer rights firm Hagens Berman filed the case with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle in November last year after amassing 14 plaintiffs to join the class suit.
The suit claimed Costco knowingly sold tequila with “significant presence of non-agave sugars,” despite labeling its products — including Kirkland Blanco Tequila, Reposado Tequila, Añejo Tequila, Añejo Cristalino Tequila and Extra Tequila Añejo — as “100% de agave” and as “100% agave azul.” The plaintiffs cited results from Site-Specific Natural Isotope Fractionation-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SNIF-NMR) testing, a method commonly used by government bodies and other regulatory agencies to compliance-check food and beverage products.
The plaintiffs asserted that Costco’s claims misled consumers, and that they would have steered away from Kirkland’s tequila or paid significantly less had they known it was not made entirely of pure agave. The case also alleged Costco knowingly acquired a false “100% de agave” certification that allowed it to sell its tequilas, which range from $18.69 to $48.99, at high prices in the U.S.
The warehouse grocery chain defended its labels by citing product tests conducted in Mexico, which turned out different results than the plaintiffs’ SNIF-NMR. It also pointed to former cases with similar allegations against, in which a U.S. judge ruled the SNIF-NMR as insufficient evidence to debunk the “100% de agave” label.
Costco is not the only tequila vendor to be thrown under question for its pure agave claims. Last month, a New York judge tossed a similar case against Diageo’s Casamigos and Don Julio brands over insufficient testing. Allegations against Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila’s “100% agave” labels have also led to a class action lawsuit, which the company has motioned to dismiss multiple times to no avail.
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来源：99869 编辑台 · vinepair.com