This is a growing scandal, sending out small tendrils of lawsuits where ever it can. As discussed in a prior post, the American wine maker Gallo was shocked, shocked to find that its wine producers in France were selling what Gallo believed to be French Pinot Noir, only to discover it was a less expensive wine instead. Gallo of course, sold the wine they received from the French fraudsters as Pinot, which lead to the current law suit, for wine fraud, filed last week in a California court.
Zeller is seeking class action status for his suit, on behalf of all California wine consumers.
Wine Industry Insight reports that Gallo would not comment on the suit, but Gallo’s Vice President of Public Relations, Susan Hensley, said in a previously released statement, “We believe that the only French Pinot Noir that was potentially misrepresented to us, would have been the 2006 vintage and prior,” Hensley said. “We will continue to work with the appropriate U.S. authorities to determine any next steps required for potentially mislabeled Pinot Noir in the marketplace.”
Gallo looks to be in a difficult spot here. Either they must admit all over again that they were the complete dupes of a few wily wine exporters, or that they intentionally defrauded their own customers. Neither is a very palatable alternative.
Related Resources:
- Calif. Lawsuit Charges Gallo With Knowingly Selling Fake Pinot (Wine Industry Insight)
- High Wines and Misdemeanors: Court Punishes Wine Grape Fraud (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)
- French Winemakers Convicted for Duping Gallo (AOL News)
- Consumer Fraud Survey Released by FTC (FindLaw’s Common Law)
You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help
Civil Rights
Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court
Criminal
Judges Can Release Secret Grand Jury Records
Politicians Can’t Block Voters on Facebook, Court Rules
