Could Starbucks be the new scammers of the world? Well, one lawsuit claims that the franchise is finessing its customers by selling fruit drinks without actual fruit or with random fruits unrelated to the drink flavor.
In a class action suit recently filed in a Manhattan federal court, a woman by the name of Joan Kominis is looking to hold the Seattle-based java company accountable for deceiving its consumers. In the claim, the Astoria, Queens, resident argues that Starbucks refresher drinks such as the Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade, Strawberry Acai Lemonade, and Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade do not contain mango, passion fruit, or acai.
Per the complaint, the popular beverage line is mostly composed of grape juice concentrate, sugar, and water. Starbucks did indeed include some freeze-dried fruit in the drinks, but not the ones after which the refreshers are named.
Kominis claims she learned of Starbucks’ false advertising when she purchased a Strawberry Acai refresher and found there was no actual acai in it. Starbucks’ website indicates that the drink is only “accented” with acai components.
While Kominis’s lawsuit doesn’t specify potential damages, it does state that the “amount in controversy” is more than $5 million.
In a statement to The Post, Starbucks spokeswoman Megan Adams called the allegations “inaccurate.”
“We look forward to defending ourselves against these claims,” Adams added.
Lawsuits concerning missing ingredients in food are not uncommon. Subway is still battling a California lawsuit that claims the restaurant chain does not use actual tuna in their sandwiches.
