Fitzhenry-Russell v. Keurig Dr. Pepper Inc.

345 F. Supp. 3d 1111
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedNovember 2, 2018
DocketCase No.17-cv-00564-NC
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 345 F. Supp. 3d 1111 (Fitzhenry-Russell v. Keurig Dr. Pepper Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fitzhenry-Russell v. Keurig Dr. Pepper Inc., 345 F. Supp. 3d 1111 (N.D. Cal. 2018).

Opinion

NATHANAEL M. COUSINS United States Magistrate Judge

In this class action, plaintiffs Jackie Fitzhenry-Russell and Gegham Margaryan allege *1114defendants Keurig Dr. Pepper Inc. and Canada Dry Mott's Inc.1 defrauded California consumers by marketing their Canada Dry Ginger Ale ("Canada Dry") as "Made from Real Ginger." According to Plaintiffs, Dr. Pepper defrauds consumers because Canada Dry is made with a ginger derivative, ginger oleoresin, not ginger root. Plaintiffs also allege that Canada Dry contains less ginger than consumers are led to expect. Finally, Plaintiffs allege that Canada Dry's labeling deceives consumers about its health benefits.

Dr. Pepper moves for summary judgment on all three of Plaintiffs' theories, arguing that no reasonable consumer would be misled by Canada Dry's labeling.

Because the Court finds that there are genuine disputes of material fact, the Court GRANTS IN PART Dr. Pepper's motion for summary judgment with regards to Plaintiffs' claim that Dr. Pepper's "Made from Real Ginger" label is misleading as to the amount of ginger in Canada Dry. The Court DENIES IN PART Dr. Pepper's motion with regards to Plaintiffs' claim that Dr. Pepper's label is misleading as to the form of ginger in and health benefits of Canada Dry. The Court also GRANTS IN PART and DENIES IN PART the parties' motions to seal.

I. Background

A. Procedural Background

The operative complaint alleges claims under (1) the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Cal. Civ. Code § 1750 ; (2) the false advertising law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17500 ; (3) common law fraud; and (4) unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200. Dkt. No. 97. On June 26, 2018, the Court certified a class of "[a]ll persons who, between December 28, 2012 and the present, purchased any Canada Dry Ginger Ale products in the state of California." Dkt. No. 199 at 37.

B. Undisputed Facts

Canada Dry is a ginger ale made and sold by Dr. Pepper. Dr. Pepper makes Canada Dry using ginger extract and a few other ingredients to capture the traditional blend of "citrus and ginger" flavors. See Dkt. No. 227-5 ("Kramer Depo.") at 56:7-18. The ginger extract used by Dr. Pepper is "ginger oleoresin," which is made by Dr. Pepper's flavor manufacturer, Givaudan. See Dkt. No. 227-11 ("Hassel Depo.") at 12:4-15; 33:6-16; 38:16-17. Givaudan imports dry ginger root, grinds it, and mixes it with other compounds to "pull[ ] flavor out of" the ginger and create ginger oleoresin. Id. at 14:19-22; 23:18; 24:22-25:15. According to Mr. Hassel, a scientist working for Givaudan, the process for making ginger oleoresin is similar to creating vanilla extract or coffee. Id. at 24:22-24; 27:7-16. From 2012 to 2018, Givaudan processed around 1.5 million pounds of dry ginger root to create ginger oleoresin for Dr. Pepper. Id. at 50:13-21.

II. Legal Standard

The parties agree on the legal standard that applies to this motion. Under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 56(a), a court "shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Under Rule 56, the moving party bears the initial burden to demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Once the moving party meets its burden, then the non-moving party must cite "particular *1115parts of materials in the record" showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c) ; Celotex Corp. v. Catrett , 477 U.S. 317, 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). A "genuine issue" exists if a reasonable jury could find for the non-moving party. E.g. , Open Text v. Box, Inc. , No. 13-cv-04910-JD, 2015 WL 428365, at *1 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 30, 2015). On summary judgment, the Court does not make credibility determinations or weigh conflicting evidence, as these determinations are left to the trier of fact at trial. Bator v. State of Hawai'i , 39 F.3d 1021, 1026 (9th Cir. 1994). A party may move for summary judgment on an entire "claim or defense-or the part of each claim or defense." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).

III. Discussion

A. Motion for Summary Judgment

"Courts generally consider claims under California's Unfair Competition Law (UCL), False Advertising Law (FAL) and Consumers Legal Remedies Act (CLRA) together." In re ConAgra Foods, Inc. , 90 F.Supp.3d 919, 982 (C.D. Cal. 2015). California law makes it unlawful for a business to "disseminate any statement 'which is untrue or misleading, and which is known, or which by the exercise of reasonable care should be known, to be untrue or misleading ....' " Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17500 ;

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Doe v. ESA P Portfolio LLC
W.D. Washington, 2025
Fitzgerald v. Polar Corp.
D. Massachusetts, 2020

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
345 F. Supp. 3d 1111, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fitzhenry-russell-v-keurig-dr-pepper-inc-cand-2018.