Kardovich v. Pfizer, Inc.

97 F. Supp. 3d 131, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42906, 2015 WL 1506996
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedMarch 31, 2015
DocketNo. 13-CR-7378 (RRM)(VVP)
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 97 F. Supp. 3d 131 (Kardovich v. Pfizer, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kardovich v. Pfizer, Inc., 97 F. Supp. 3d 131, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42906, 2015 WL 1506996 (E.D.N.Y. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

ROSLYNN R. MAUSKOPF, District Judge.

Plaintiffs Matt Kardovich, Lila Chui, and Cindy Chang bring a putative class action grounded in various state statutory and common law claims, alleging that defendant Pfizer, Inc. has engaged in pervasive and deceptive labeling of Centrum branded multivitamins. (Am. Class Action Compl. (Doc. No. 13).)' Before the Court is defendant’s fully briefed motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). (Def. Mem. Supp. Mot. Dismiss (Doc. No. 17-1); (Pis. Mem. Opp’n (Doc. No. 18)); (Def. Reply (Doc. [133]*133No. 19).) For the reasons set forth below, defendant’s motion is granted.

A. The Amended Class Action Complaint

The following allegations are taken from plaintiffs’ amended class action complaint, and for purposes of this motion to dismiss are accepted as true. See Stratte-McClure v. Morgan Stanley, 776 F.3d 94, 97 n. 1 (2d Cir.2015).

Defendant manufactures and sells the Centrum brand line of multivitamins, (Am. Class Action Compl. at ¶ 56), which includes Centrum Silver Women 50 +, Cent-rum Silver Men 50 +, Centrum Silver Adults 50+ , Centrum Women, Centrum Men, and Centrum Adults (collectively, “Centrum”), {id. at ¶ 2.) Through its labeling and marketing of Centrum, defendant has created in consumers’ minds the belief that taking multi-vitamins will afford them positive health benefits and prevent illness and disease. {Id. at ¶ 1.) Centrum’s packaging characterizes the product as a multivitamin/multimineral supplement, and defendant’s 2012 Annual Report calls Centrum the “No. 1 selling brand of multivitamins in the world.... ” {Id. at ¶¶ 2, 16.)

Kardovich, an Illinois citizen, Chui, a New York citizen, and Chang, a California citizen, regularly purchased Centrum Silver Adults 50+ , Centrum Silver Women 50+ , and Centrum Adults, respectively, over a period of several years. In making their purchases, each claims to have relied on specific representations that the products would provide health benefits and protect from illness and disease. {Id. at ¶¶ 7, 8, 9.)

Specifically, plaintiffs point to “vignettes” on Centrum’s packaging “indicating the different categories of positive health benefits that each product provides.” {Id. at ¶ 18.) The packaging for each of these products contained three out of four of the following image and text combinations:

[1] [An orange shield above the word IMMUNITY] With antioxidants to support the normal function of the immune system.

[2] [A yellow sun above the word ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS] With vitamins C and E to help protect body’s cells from free radicals damage caused by environmental stress.

[3] [A blue runner above the word PHYSICAL STRESS] With vitamins C and E to help protect the body against the effects of physical stress.

[4] [A green circle of three arrows above the word METABOLISM] Contains B-vitamins to aid in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and proteins.

{Id. at ¶ 18.) Plaintiffs further allege that defendant’s internet advertising and website “corroborates its intent to market Centrum’s health benefits ... by applying] the latest nutritional science to bring you an age-adjusted multivitamin with a broad spectrum of nutrients that help protect the health of adults 50 +"” {id. at ¶ 19), and strives to “convince consumers that its Products are scientifically supported” {id. at ¶ 20).

Plaintiffs claim that, “unfortunately for consumers, the scientific evidence affirmatively contradicts Defendant’s promises to provide positive health benefits. Accordingly, such representations are unfair, unjust, false, misleading, and deceptive.” {Id. at ¶ 21.) In support, plaintiffs rely on a number of scientific studies and other materials, and to specific statements made therein that, according to plaintiffs, demonstrate the false, misleading and deceptive nature of Centrum’s “promises to provide positive health benefits.” {Id.) They are:

A December 2013 Editorial, titled Enough is Enough: Stop Wasting [134]*134Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which states: “[W]e believe that the case is closed — supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful;” and that “there were no differences between the multivitamin and placebo groups in overall cognitive performance or verbal memory.” (Id. at ¶ 22.)
An article from that same issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, captioned “Original Research” and titled Long-Term Multivitamin Supplementation and Cognitive Function in Men, that states that study data “do[es] not provide support [for] use of multivitamin supplements in the prevention of cognitive decline.” (Id. at ¶ 23.)
A second article from that same issue, captioned “Review,” and titled Vitamin and Mineral Supplements in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer: An Updated Systemic Evidence Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, that states that there was “no evidence of an effect of nutritional doses of vitamins and minerals on CVD [cardiovascular disease], cancer or mortality in healthy individuals without known nutritional deficiencies.” (Id. at ¶ 24.)
A third article from the same issue, captioned “Original Research” and titled Oral High-Dose Multivitamins and Minerals after Myocardial Infarction, that states “a 28-component, high-dose oral multivitamin and multimineral regimen used as secondary prevention in patients who have had MI [myocardial infarction] did not statistically significantly reduce cardiovascular events.” (Id. at ¶ 25.)
A 2010 Harvard Medical School Special Health Report, titled The Truth About Your Immune System (“Harvard Study”), which makes the following assertions: 1) “Vitamins and supplements are incapable of ‘bolstering immunity.’ ”;1 2) “There isn’t any evidence-based science behind the conception ‘boosting’ immunity beyond what our finely tuned immune system already provides;” 3) “It is an unwarranted claim that ingesting more of these vitamins will translate into better immune function.” (Id. at ¶ 26.)
Finally, a pre-suit demand letter to defendant from the non-profit consumer advocacy group the Center for Science in the Public Interest (“CSPI Letter”), citing one of its own “Nutrition Action HealthLetters,” stating, “[a]s measured by the number or length of illnesses, taking multivitamins does not affect immunity.” (Id. at ¶ 27.)

Plaintiffs conclude that “science-based evidence contradicts the promises made on [ ] Centrum’s labels,” and that a reasonable consumer who purchases Centrum, “believing that it will provide the benefits as so promised ... would be deceived by Centrum’s false and misleading claims because the science-based evidence directly contradicts Centrum’s promises.” (Id. at ¶ 29.)

B. Procedural History

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97 F. Supp. 3d 131, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42906, 2015 WL 1506996, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kardovich-v-pfizer-inc-nyed-2015.