Bruno v. Quten Research Institute, LLC

280 F.R.D. 524, 2011 WL 5592880, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 132323
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedNovember 14, 2011
DocketNo. SACV 11-00173 DOC(Ex)
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 280 F.R.D. 524 (Bruno v. Quten Research Institute, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bruno v. Quten Research Institute, LLC, 280 F.R.D. 524, 2011 WL 5592880, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 132323 (C.D. Cal. 2011).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR CLASS CERTIFICATION

DAVID O. CARTER, District Judge.

Before the Court is a Motion for Class Certification filed by Plaintiff Kelley Bruno (“Plaintiff’). (Dkt. 47) (also under seal at Dkt. 61). After considering the moving papers and oral argument, the Court GRANTS IN PART Plaintiffs motion for class certification. The Court DENIES the motion only to the extent that Plaintiffs seek to include within the class those persons who were exclusively exposed to the “3X” representation.

I. Background

Plaintiff filed a Complaint on January 31, 2011. (Dkt. 1). The gravamen of Plaintiffs complaint is that she purchased a liquid product which contained the allegedly material misrepresentation that its active ingredient had “6X BETTER ABSORPTION” and was “6 Times More Effective” than the equivalent active ingredient in competing brands. The active ingredient at issue is the CoQlO enzyme, brand name Qunol (“Qunol”), which is consumed for medicinal purposes, including as a dietary supplement. Plaintiff alleges that she bought the liquid product that contained these “6X” representations about Qunol from a Costco store in California.1 See Compl. ¶ 11.

a. Defendants

Plaintiff alleges, and Defendants do not appear to dispute, that both Defendants Tishcon Corporation (“Tishcon”) and Quten Research Institute LLC (“Quten”) create or approve the marketing at issue here, including the “6X” representations. Tishcon is the exclusive manufacturer of Qunol and owns the patent to Qunol’s formulation and manufacturing process. Quten is the designated “marketing company” for Qunol and holds the trademark on the Qunol brand name. In addition, Raj Chopra — Tishcon’s Founder, CEO, Chief Scientific Officer, and Chairman-reviews all health-related statements made by Quten about Qunol before they are included on Qunol’s label. All Quten statements about Qunol are based on the work of Chopra. See Mot 3.

b. Defendants’ liquid product and “6X” representations

From January 2009 through April 2010, Defendants marketed a liquid product with the representation that its Qunol had 6 times better absorption and effectiveness than the [529]*529equivalent enzyme in competing brands. See Quten Opp’n 3. Specifically, the liquid product contained representations such as: (1) “6X Better Absorption than Regular CoQlO”; (2) “Increase the Effectiveness of Your CoQlO by up to 600%”; (3) is “6 Times More Effective.” Mot. 2.

Defendants ceased making these representations in April at Costeo’s request and after the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division concluded that Defendants’ study was insufficient to support the “6x Better Absorption” claim. Id. at 5-6.

c. Defendants’ gelcap product and “3X” representations

Since 2007, Defendants have marketed a gelcap product with the representation that its Qunol had 3 times better absorption than the equivalent enzyme in competing brands. See Quten Opp’n 4. Specifically, the gelcap product contains representations such as: (1) “3X Better Absorption”; and (2) “300% Better Absorption.”

d. Defendants’ liquid and gelcap product shared representations

In addition to specific numerical representations about absorption, the labels of both the liquid and gelcap product have contained supporting graphics that illustrate then-claims and slogans like “Best Value!” See Reply 5-6.

e. Plaintiff’s Mlotion for Class Certification

On September 19, 2011, Plaintiff filed the instant Motion for Class Certification. (Dkt. 47). Defendants Quten and Tishcon filed separate, but essentially duplicative Oppositions that make identical legal arguments using exceedingly similar factual statements. See Quten Opp’n (Dkt. 55); Tishcon Opp’n (Dkt. 58). Thus, for convenience, this Court primarily cites Defendant Quten’s Opposition in its analysis.

Plaintiff seeks class certification of for violation of the following California laws:

(1) Unfair Competition Law (“UCL”), Cal. Bus. & Prof.Code, § 17200 et seq.
(2) False Advertising Law (“FAL”), id. § 17500 et seq.
(3) Consumer Legal Remedies Act (“CLRA”), Cal. Civ.Code § 1750 et seq.
(4) Breach of express warranty,

Plaintiff seeks to certify the following class:

All persons, excluding officers, directors, and employees of Quten Research Institute LLC or Tishcon Corp. and their immediate families, who on or after January 31, 2007 purchased Qunol CoQlO in the United States for personal or household use rather than resale or distribution, in packaging stating that Qunol offers multiple times better absorption or effectiveness.

II. Legal Standard

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 governs class actions. Fed.R.Civ.P. 23. A party seeking class certification must demonstrate the following prerequisites: “(1) numerosity of plaintiffs; (2) common questions of law or fact predominate; (3) the named plaintiffs claims and defenses are typical; and (4) the named plaintiff can adequately protect the interests of the class.” Hanon v. Dataproducts Corp., 976 F.2d 497, 508 (9th Cir.1992) (citing Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(a)). The party may not rest on mere allegations, but must provide facts to satisfy these requirements. Doninger v. Pac. Northwest Bell, Inc., 564 F.2d 1304, 1309 (9th Cir.1977) (citing Gillibeau v. Richmond, 417 F.2d 426, 432 (9th Cir.1969)).

After satisfying the four prerequisites of numerosity, commonality, typicality, and adequacy, a party must also demonstrate either: (1) a risk that separate actions would create incompatible standards of conduct for the defendant or prejudice individual class members not parties to the action; or (2) the defendant has treated the members of the class as a class, making appropriate injunctive or declaratory relief with respect to the class as a whole; or (3) common questions of law or fact predominate over questions affecting individual members and that a class action is a superior method for fairly and efficiently adjudicating the action. Fed. R.Civ.P. 23(b)(l — 3).

The decision to grant or deny a motion for class certification is committed to the trial court’s broad discretion. Bateman v. American Multi-Cinema, Inc., 623 F.3d 708, 712 (9th Cir.2010). However, a party seek[530]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
280 F.R.D. 524, 2011 WL 5592880, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 132323, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bruno-v-quten-research-institute-llc-cacd-2011.