Organic Consumers Ass'n v. R.C. Bigelow, Inc.

314 F. Supp. 3d 344
CourtCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
DecidedJune 29, 2018
DocketCivil Action No. 18–82 (RBW)
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 314 F. Supp. 3d 344 (Organic Consumers Ass'n v. R.C. Bigelow, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Organic Consumers Ass'n v. R.C. Bigelow, Inc., 314 F. Supp. 3d 344 (D.C. Cir. 2018).

Opinion

REGGIE B. WALTON, United States District Judge

The plaintiff, Organic Consumers Association (the "OCA"), initiated this civil action in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia (the "Superior Court") against the defendant, R.C. Bigelow, Inc. ("Bigelow"), asserting that Bigelow violated the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act ("CPPA"), D.C. Code § 28-3904 (2012). See Complaint ("Compl.") ¶¶ 102-22. On January 12, 2018, Bigelow removed the case to this Court. See Notice of Removal at 1 ("Notice"). Currently before the Court is the Plaintiff's Motion to Remand for Lack of Subject-Matter Jurisdiction ("Pl.'s Mot."), which seeks a remand of this case to the Superior Court, see Pl.'s Mot. at 1, as well as an award of costs and fees (including attorney's fees) allegedly incurred as a result of the remand litigation, see Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Plaintiff's Motion to Remand ("Pl.'s Mem.") at 15. Bigelow also requests oral argument to address the OCA's motion. See R.C. Bigelow, Inc.'s Notice of Request for Oral Argument. Upon careful consideration of the parties' submissions,1 the Court concludes that it must grant the OCA's motion to remand, deny its request for an award of costs and fees, and deny as moot Bigelow's request for oral argument.

I. BACKGROUND

"The OCA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public-interest organization," Compl. ¶ 20, located in Minnesota, see id. at 1 (listing a Minnesota address in the caption), that "challenge[s] industrial agriculture, corporate globalization, and [seeks] to inspire consumers to 'Buy Local, Organic, and Fair Made,' " id. ¶ 22. Bigelow is a Connecticut corporation, see Notice ¶ 4, that sells tea products, "including Bigelow's Green Tea, with the representation 'All *347Natural,' 'Natural,' or other representations that the tea products are environmentally friendly (collectively, the 'Products')," Compl. at 1.

"On October 4, 2017, [the] OCA purchased Bigelow Classic Green Tea at a Walmart located [in] ... Washington, D.C.[,] in order to evaluate its purported qualities as an 'All Natural' and environmentally friendly product." Id. ¶ 24. The OCA alleges that "[t]ests conducted by an independent laboratory ... revealed ... glyphosate in Bigelow Green Tea," id. ¶ 6,2 and claims that Bigelow's failure to disclose the presence of glyphosate "deceiv[es] consumers about the nature, quality, and/or ingredients of the Products," id. ¶ 9, because "[n]o reasonable consumer who sees the[ ] [all natural or environmentally friendly] representations would expect that the ... Products contain something that is unnatural," id. ¶ 5. The OCA alleges that Bigelow's labeling, marketing, and sale of the Products are misleading and constitute an unlawful trade practice under the CPPA. See id. ¶¶ 104-13; see also D.C. Code § 28-3904.

The OCA brings this suit under the CPPA provisions permitting it to file "on behalf of the general public," see Compl. ¶ 14; see also id. ¶ 118 (noting that D.C. Code § 28-3905(k)(1)(C) permits "[a] nonprofit organization [ ], on behalf of itself or any of its members, or on any such behalf and on behalf of the general public, [to] bring an action" under the CPPA (first alteration in original) ); id. ¶ 119 (noting that D.C. Code § 28-3905(k)(1)(D)(i) permits "a public interest organization [ ], on behalf of the interests of a consumer or a class of consumers, [to] bring an action" under the CPPA). The OCA requests three specific types of relief: (1) "a declaration that [Bigelow's] conduct is in violation of the [ ] CPPA"; (2) "an order enjoining [Bigelow's] conduct found to be in violation of the [ ] CPPA, as well as corrective advertising"; and (3) "an order granting [the OCA] costs and disbursements, including reasonable attorneys' fees and expert fees." Id. at 20; see also id. (also requesting "such further relief, including equitable relief, as this Court may deem just and proper").

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
314 F. Supp. 3d 344, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/organic-consumers-assn-v-rc-bigelow-inc-cadc-2018.