The Federal Trade Commission has filed suit against four companies and one individual, charging them with making false claims for weight loss products.
The defendants include MedLab Inc., Pinnacle Holdings Inc., Metabolic Research Associates Inc., U.S.A. Health Inc. and their principal L. Scott Holmes.
The firms falsely claimed in direct response ads that their products would lead to weight loss without dieting or exercise, putting them in violation of the FTC Act, according to the complaint.
The FTC wants a permanent injunction against the firms, redress to consumers and “the disgorgement of ill-gotten monies.”
According to the FTC, the ads appeared in supplements like SmartSource by News America Marketing FSI Inc.
One ad stated: “Not Even Total Starvation Can Slim You Down and Firm You Up This Fast This Safe,” the complaint alleges.
The ads claimed that users to “lose substantial amounts of weight rapidly, including as much as 1t to 18 pounds per week,” the FTC charges. These claims “are false or were not substantiated at the time the representations were made,” the FTC continues.
According to the FTC, the defendants also claimed: “Even if right now you need to lose 40 -60 -80 -100 pounds or more, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to pick up the phone and call right now, because this is the LAST WEIGHT REDUCING AD YOU WILL EVER HAVE TO READ!”
The product names included Zyladex Plus, Questral AC, Questral AC Fat Killer Plus, Rapid Loss 245, and Rapid Loss, according to the complaint.
Holmes serves as president, director, secretary and treasurer for each company, according the FTC. All are based in La Quinta, CA.
The suit is on file with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco.
