Woodland, CA – January 25, 2019 – Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced that his office, along with the Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Fresno, and Santa Cruz County District Attorneys’ Offices reached a settlement with Ghirardelli and Russell Stover in an action that was related to some of its chocolate products. The civil complaint filed by prosecutors alleged that the two companies, which are under common ownership of Lindt & Sprüngli, packaged certain chocolate products in oversized containers which can give consumers the misleading appearance that they are purchasing more product than they are actually receiving. In addition, it was alleged that Ghirardelli stated that one chocolate product contained more cocoa than it actually had.
The settlement was approved by Yolo County Superior Court Judge Stephen L. Mock on January 9, 2019. Without admitting wrongdoing, Ghirardelli and Russell Stover have agreed, as a part of the settlement, to implement improved packaging practices and to pay $750,000 in costs and penalties.
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig stated, “Consumers have the right to expect full value in their purchases and compliance with packaging requirements is an integral part of the process. We will continue to aggressively monitor businesses and prosecute those that violate consumer protection laws.”
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