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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nGet the latest open class action lawsuits sent to your inbox. Sign up for ClassAction.org\u2019s free weekly newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 88-page lawsuit alleges that the defendants\u2014which also include Fairlife\u2019s dairy farming and supply operator Select Milk Producers<\/a> and two individuals who co-founded Select Milk and Fairlife<\/a>\u2014have propagated \u201cegregiously false\u201d and misleading claims that Fairlife cows<\/a> receive above-standard care and do not suffer abuse or neglect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the filing, Fairlife charges a premium price for its lines of \u201cfiltered milk\u201d products, Core Power protein drinks and ice cream based on assurances that the brand provides high-quality, humane animal care. However, new investigations<\/a> conducted by animal welfare organization the Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) between July and December 2024 reveal that certain Fairlife suppliers are \u201cmassively concentrated industrial farms\u201d plagued by systemic animal cruelty<\/a> and severe neglect, the class action suit<\/a> charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, video evidence recovered from the undercover operations, which come on the heels of previous ARM investigations of Fairlife suppliers<\/a> in 2019 and 2023, reportedly depicts the \u201cworst, most widespread, egregious, systemic, frequent, and extreme cruelty and neglect yet,\u201d the Fairlife lawsuit<\/a> says, claiming \u201ccriminal-level cruelty\u201d is meted out by management and workers alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, the representation that the \u201cpremiumized\u201d milk products brand<\/a> maintains sustainable practices is a \u201cfiction\u201d invented to drive profit and growth, as certain supplier farms have been linked recently to water pollution and violations of the industry\u2019s environmental requirements, the suit contends. What\u2019s more, there is \u201cno reasonable basis\u201d for Fairlife\u2019s claim that its plastic bottles are recyclable, the filing adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The case charges that the Fairlife brand has been built on false animal welfare and sustainability messaging since its launch in 2014, with the gap between marketing and reality only continuing to widen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToday, the misleading nature, level of falsity, and fraud of the fairlife animal care and sustainability claims are all at an all-time high,\u201d the filing states. \u201cThe claims themselves are more egregious and robust, while the evidence of animal cruelty and environmental degradation has never been so extreme and widespread, nor so clearly linked to the higher-ups and corporate levels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n New animal abuse allegations emerge<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the suit tells it, Fairlife ubiquitously promotes a brand identity centered around caring for animal welfare. Aside from the name itself and the logo of a cartoon calf, other marketing touts that the brand has \u201czero tolerance for animal cruelty\u201d and claims \u201cgreat care for animals\u201d is a \u201ctop priority at fairlife,\u201d the case relays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, ARM\u2019s investigations paint a different picture, the complaint states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most recently, in 2024, the non-profit organization investigated Arizona-based Fairlife suppliers<\/a> Rainbow Valley Dairy and Butterfield Dairy, the filing says. The undercover operations, which were only made public last month, document \u201ccriminal level animal cruelty,\u201d including botched attempts at euthanasia and instances in which animals were excessively whipped or hit in the face, genitals and other sensitive areas with knives, screwdrivers or \u201cshards of metal,\u201d the lawsuit describes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Per the suit, the investigations show employees and management intentionally injuring cows and denying access to food, water and veterinary care, the case says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Previously, in 2019, ARM conducted an investigation of Fairlife supplier farms Windy Ridge and Windy Too in Indiana, the complaint explains. Following the investigation, Fairlife was slapped with a false advertising lawsuit<\/a> that ultimately settled for $21 million<\/a>, the filing states. In the wake of the 2019 investigation, the lawsuit asserts that the brand made public statements that policies and oversight procedures had been improved and investments in animal care had been made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In spite of this, another ARM investigation of the same suppliers in 2023 showed \u201cnew and additional widespread and systemic cruelty and neglect,\u201d the suit contends. Per the case, Fairlife responded by falsely denying affiliation with the farms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sustainable practices? Not so much, suit charges<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the case, Fairlife widely advertises that its supplier farms pollute less and consume fewer resources than industry standards. However, despite the representation that the suppliers are \u201ctop in the industry for environmental sustainability,\u201d numerous farms have been cited for violations of environmental regulations, the complaint claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For one, the ARM investigations in 2024 link Fairlife suppliers with the pollution of nearby waterways, the suit claims. Specifically, the investigations revealed the farms were dumping animal carcasses near waterways next to a residential suburb and recreational park land outside Phoenix, Arizona, which caused algae blooms to grow in the water, the lawsuit shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The recent ARM investigations also show \u201clarge amounts of animal waste discharged into nearby wildlife areas\u201d not far from waterways and groundwater sources, the filing alleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, the lawsuit asserts that Fairlife misleadingly represents<\/a> the sustainable and beneficial nature of biogas methane digesters, a system pioneered by the companies to break down cow manure and repurpose the resultant gases. The suit contends that Fairlife has championed its biogas digesters while omitting the fact that they present their own environmental and safety hazards, such as leaking methane or posing an explosion risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The case argues that, in reality, biogas digesters are \u201cprofit centers for highly industrialized and consolidated dairy companies\u201d and incentivize further growth, which contributes to an outsized, negative impact on the environment as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The complaint also takes issue with Fairlife\u2019s allegedly fraudulent claim that the plastic packaging of its milk products<\/a> is 100-percent recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the filing tells it, \u201c0%\u201d of Fairlife bottles are actually recyclable because they are made from opaque polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, which contains titanium dioxide. Per the lawsuit, this compound is considered a contaminant in the recycling process, and bottles that use it ultimately must be removed and discarded or burned without being recycled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are no operating recycling facilities that would consider opaque plastic PET bottles\u2014including fairlife bottles\u2014to be recyclable,\u201d the suit asserts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who\u2019s covered by the lawsuit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The case looks to represent all California residents who purchased Fairlife products at any time since February 26, 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve bought Fairlife milk products. How can I join the lawsuit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s usually nothing you need to do to join, sign up for or add your name to<\/a> a class action lawsuit at first. If there is a class action settlement<\/a>, the people covered by the deal<\/a>\u2014known as class members<\/a>\u2014are typically notified<\/a> directly with a notice of their rights and follow-up instructions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, it can take months or even years<\/a> for a class action to be resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you bought Fairlife products or just want to stay in the loop with class action lawsuit and settlement news, sign up for ClassAction.org\u2019s free weekly newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Warning: The full complaint embedded below contains graphic images of animals.<\/p>\n\n\n