A lawsuit against personal trainer and TV personality Jillian Michaels alleging false claims about a weight-loss product involves her business relationship with Utah companies that are subject to several similar lawsuits, including one by the Federal Trade Commission.
A California woman sued Michaels, Basic Research and related company ThinCare International last week in state court in Los Angeles County.
The lawsuit accuses Michaels of false claims and violations of California consumer laws. Michaels, who appears on the NBC TV show "The Biggest Loser," developed her reputation as a fitness instructor by emphasizing that weight loss requires hard work and discipline, according to the lawsuit.
"Contrary to everything that Ms. Michaels has ever instructed, she and the companies peddling this product suggest it makes weight-loss effortless, falsely claiming: 'Take two capsules before main meals and you lose weight. That's it.' "
In "The Biggest Loser," Michaels counsels contestants who are trying to lose the most weight. Separately, she also promotes weight-loss products developed by ThinCare and Basic Research, a Salt Lake City company that produces and markets weight-loss, bodybuilding, anti-aging, skin care and other health-related products.
The lawsuit says that "false claims" for the product Calorie Control were personally approved by two managers of Basic Research and ThinCare, Dennis Gay and Nathalie Chevreau.
The lawsuit seeks class-action status to represent all consumers in California who purchased Calorie Control in the past four years. A 14-week supply of the product (84 pills) costs $39.99.
In a statement, Michaels said, "My reputation and credibility are of the utmost importance to me. This baseless lawsuit is entirely without merit and is being handled by my legal team. I stand behind all my products and remain committed to helping people achieve their health and wellness goals."
ThinCare said in a statement that Calorie Control underwent rigourous testing. "That research was reviewed by some of the leading weight-loss experts in the world before Jillian would put her name on the product," it said in response to a request for comment from the companies.
A second lawsuit was filed last week against Michaels related to the weight-loss product, The Associated Press reported. Basic Research and other related companies already were facing a third lawsuit in California and one in Utah over alleged false claims for their products.
In addition, Basic Research and the FTC are engaged in suing each other in federal court in Utah.
The FTC alleges the Salt Lake City companies are violating an earlier agreement by advertising capsules that encourage its customers to "eat all you want and still lose weight."
The dispute with the FTC goes back at least five years. The federal agency charged with protecting American consumers has been disputing advertising claims for weight-loss and fat-burning products with Basic Research, affiliated companies and company officials.
Basic Research sued the FTC in September, alleging the agency failed to follow an agreement the two sides reached in 2006. It said the FTC continued to reject the companies' use of scientifically valid studies to back its claims in advertisements for the weight-loss product Akävar and for a product called Relacore that is said to reduce "stress-related belly fat."
