Dannon Activia/DanActive class action suit claim information

If you have purchased Dannon Activia or Dan Active, you should take a look at this notice put out by a law firm.

The settlement is not approved, so bear that in mind. And only complete the form if you truly feel you were misled by Dannon about their product.

I am going to file this under rant, mainly because class action lawsuits annoy me. I know I've railed before so bear with me here. Though most people would click that link above and skip right to the claim form, I want to point out this interesting tidbit in that release you may not have caught:

"A proposed settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit about Dannon’s advertising for Activia® and DanActive® branded products (“Products”) and their benefits from “probiotic” bacteria. The lawsuit claims the advertising was not true. Dannon stands by its advertising and denies it did anything wrong. However, Dannon has settled to avoid the cost and distraction of litigation. If you’re a Class Member, you could receive up to $100. A federal Court authorized this notice. Before any money is paid, the Court will have a hearing to decide whether to approve the settlement." (Emphasis mine)

The beauty of America is that you can sue anybody and they have to bear the cost of defending themselves. All too often, it is cheaper to plea out or settle, rather than continue to rack up legal counsel fees.

I have seen this information posted around the net as an easy way to get a tidy refund back and it upsets me. Consumers pay the ultimate price of such litigation. I find it interesting that they worded Dannon's decision to settle the way that they did and you should take notice too. This case was not litigated out to resolution and for all we know, Dannon could have turned out to be innocent, as they maintain. But avoiding the "cost and distraction of litigation" does not mean the product does not perform as stated.

Disclosure: I don't work for Dannon... heck, I don't even eat yogurt. I'm just tired of lawsuits causing companies whose products I buy to raise their prices at the grocery store. Someone has to pay the costs and ultimately it is you and me and every other person who shops at the grocery store.