Two new lawsuits filed against Diageo amid tequila adulteration claims – Drinks International

The two new complaints have been filed in Miami-Dade County, Florida and San Francisco, California, respectively.

Both suits were filed by customers of Don Julio and Casamigos products who claim they would have either not purchased or paid less for the tequilas if they had, as the Florida suit claimed: “Known the truth of the ingredients in the products.”

The additional class action complaints follow a similar lawsuit filed in New York in May.

The California-based suit is a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) case, which provides extended criminal penalties to combat organised crime. In a RICO class action, cases can result in the recovery of triple damages.

It is also the first of the trio of complaints to include results of laboratory analysis of four Diageo products.

The suit alleges that samples of Casmigos Blanco contained an estimated 33% of ethanol derived from agave, and samples of Casamigos Reposado contained an estimated 42% of ethanol derived from agave.

The suit goes on to allege that samples of Don Julio 1942 Blanco contained an estimated 42% of ethanol derived from agave, and samples of Don Julio 1942 Añejo contained an estimated 33% of ethanol derived from agave.

Both the Florida and California suits have demanded jury trials.

Following the initial class action complaint, Diageo strongly refuted the claims. A statement from the North American subsidiary of the group said: “These claims are meritless, and we plan to vigorously defend ourselves in court.”