Starbucks faces a lawsuit alleging that some of its Refresher fruit beverages do not contain the fruit ingredients indicated in their names
U.S. District Judge John Cronan in Manhattan refused Starbucks' request to dismiss nine out of the 11 claims in the proposed class action
Judge Cronan stated that a significant portion of reasonable consumers would expect Starbucks' fruit drinks to actually contain the fruits mentioned in their names
Consumers complained that several Starbucks Refreshers, including Mango Dragonfruit and Strawberry Açai, lacked the advertised fruit ingredients
Plaintiffs from New York and California alleged that Starbucks' misleading product names led to overcharging, violating consumer protection laws
Starbucks argued that their product names referred to flavors, not ingredients, and that their menu boards accurately represented the flavors
The judge disagreed, noting that terms like 'mango,' 'passionfruit,' and 'açaí' typically represent both flavor and ingredient
Starbucks' argument that reasonable consumers would not be confused was rejected by the judge
The judge dismissed a fraud claim but allowed the lawsuit to proceed on other grounds, potentially involving at least $5 million in damages
Starbucks refuted the allegations, describing them as inaccurate and without merit, and expressed its intent to defend itself in the lawsuit