“Whoops! Plaintiff Hired Lawyer First, Then Bought Product”

Judges, the sticklers, still expect it to be done the other way round if you’re going to be the named plaintiff in a class action. This one was a claim of improper labeling filed against the Arizona iced tea company by attorney Michael Halbfish as well as the well-known New Jersey firm of Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer. [Dan Fisher, Forbes; opinion in Coyle v. Hornell Brewing, PDF, courtesy Sean Wajert]

One Comment

  • To me this is obviously a scam. If the lead plaintiff were truly concerned about the labeling, she would have read the label before making a purchase. I also think 99% of the people who read the label after the fact would simply cease buying the product, or at worst, ask for a refund and be done with it.

    I suspect that class action cases like this are quite common in that lawyers seek a plaintiff rather than the other way around. Is it even logical that someone purchase iced tea and then look for a lawyer? What makes this case unique is the carelessness of the lawyers.