Federal regulators said Tuesday that they had sued the marketers of CortiSlim, a widely advertised dietary supplement, alleging that they made false claims about its ability to help people swiftly shed pounds.
The Federal Trade Commission lawsuit charges that Window Rock Enterprises Inc. of Brea and Infinity Advertising Inc. of Anaheim made "deceptive efficacy claims" about CortiSlim in broadcast and print ads, infomercials and on websites.
The suit also alleges that the companies made false or unsubstantiated claims about CortiStress, a product that is no longer on the market, as a way to prevent or cut the risk of a wide range of ailments, including obesity, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. In addition, the suit contends, the defendants produced infomercials intended to appear to be episodes of a talk show called "Breakthroughs" rather than paid commercial programming.
The suit, filed Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles, asks that an unspecified amount of money be refunded to consumers who bought the two products.
The assertions made about CortiSlim "fly in the face of reality," Lydia B. Parnes, acting director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. "No pill can replace a healthy program of diet and exercise."
Marc Ullman, an attorney for Window Rock, said the company had signed an agreement with the FTC to stop any "offensive advertising." He said the marketing claims that prompted the agency to file suit resulted from overenthusiasm.
"This was a company very excited about a new product in an area where they didn't have vast amounts of experience," he said. As Window Rock began to better understand the standards for marketing such products, he said, it started modifying its ads, even before it was contacted by the FTC.
Under the agreement with the FTC, advertising for CortiSlim, pitched on its website at $49.99 for a one-month supply, "will focus on lifestyle, diet, exercise, stress management, nutrition and supplementation," Ullman said.
Window Rock is working with the FTC to resolve issues relating to "claims the company previously made" in its CortiSlim ads, the company said in a statement, which said the agency's complaint focused "solely on the language and type of claims made in CortiSlim's advertising, not on the safety of the product."
