Alpha Brain Supplements Provide No Brain-Enhancing Benefits, Class Action Says [DISMISSED]
Last Updated on March 15, 2024
Martin v. Onnit Labs, Inc.
Filed: May 16, 2023 ◆§ 2:23-cv-03737
The makers of the Alpha Brain dietary supplement face a class action that alleges the product does not support memory, focus or cognitive processing speed as advertised.
March 15, 2024 – Alpha Brain Class Action Lawsuit Voluntarily Dismissed
The proposed class action lawsuit detailed on this page was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice by the plaintiff on October 20, 2023.
Days prior to the plaintiff filing a three-page notice of voluntary dismissal, United States District Judge Fred W. Slaughter on October 18 granted Onnit Labs’ August 14 motion to dismiss the case. In a 12-page dismissal order, Judge Slaughter said that the court agreed with Onnit Labs’ contention that the plaintiff failed to plausibly allege that the company’s marketing claims violated California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act.
In particular, the judge found that several scientific studies cited by the plaintiff did not disprove the defendant’s marketing claim that Alpha Brain “supports memory, focus, and cognitive processing speed.”
Judge Slaughter said the studies “did not test the Supplement itself or comparable supplements with the same active ingredients in similar doses,” meaning the studies’ findings could not plausibly support the plaintiff’s argument that the Alpha Brain ingredients cannot provide the claimed benefits. Secondly, the judge wrote that the parameters of the studies did not analyze participants’ memory, focus and cognitive processing speed, and instead focused on whether supplements could prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease, whether supplements “modulated inflammatory processes in rat brains,” and whether energy drinks helped video game players’ performance.
“Studies concerning specific medical conditions do not contradict Defendant’s representation about the Supplement that it generally supports ‘memory, focus, and cognitive processing speed,’” the order reads, adding that a study testing energy drinks’ effects on video gamers’ performance also does not “directly conflict” with the defendant’s marketing claim.
The judge also found that the plaintiff’s allegations regarding her personal experience with the supplement “lack sufficient detail” and cannot, on their own, establish that the company’s marketing claims are false.
Although Judge Slaughter granted the plaintiff leave to file a second amended complaint, the consumer instead voluntarily dropped the lawsuit.
Want to stay in the loop on class actions that matter to you? Sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.
The makers of the Alpha Brain dietary supplement face a proposed class action that alleges the product does not support memory, focus or cognitive processing speed as advertised.
Want to stay in the loop on class actions that matter to you? Sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.
According to the six-page lawsuit, the claim from defendant Onnit Labs that its purportedly brain-boosting supplement offers the “ultimate way to get ‘in the zone’” has been “proven false by the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence.”
In fact, the case contends that several studies have shown that the ingredients in Alpha Brain fail to provide any of the promised cognitive effects.
The plaintiff, a California resident who works as a “tester” to ensure that companies adhere to state law, says they bought Alpha Brain to obtain its advertised benefits yet did not experience any of the product’s touted brain-enhancing benefits.
“By making demonstrably false claims that its product provides memory benefits that it does not and cannot provide, Defendant has illegally collected millions of dollars from unsuspecting consumers,” the suit stresses.
The lawsuit looks to represent anyone within the United States who purchased Alpha Brain supplements for personal use within the past six months.
Get class action lawsuit news sent to your inbox – sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.
Hair Relaxer Lawsuits
Women who developed ovarian or uterine cancer after using hair relaxers such as Dark & Lovely and Motions may now have an opportunity to take legal action.
Read more here: Hair Relaxer Cancer Lawsuits
How Do I Join a Class Action Lawsuit?
Did you know there's usually nothing you need to do to join, sign up for, or add your name to new class action lawsuits when they're initially filed?
Read more here: How Do I Join a Class Action Lawsuit?
Stay Current
Sign Up For
Our Newsletter
New cases and investigations, settlement deadlines, and news straight to your inbox.
Before commenting, please review our comment policy.