Starbucks Escapes Suit Over ‘Best Coffee’ Marketing Messages

Starbucks Corp. statements like “Best Coffee” and “Taste of Inspiration” are too vague to support a false-ad claim, the Second Circuit said, affirming dismissal of a proposed class suit alleging the marketing campaign was deceptive because Starbucks used a toxic pesticide in some stores.

Christopher George alleged the company’s campaigns promoting premium coffee and food are misleading because Starbucks uses a pest-control product that contains the toxic ingredient DDVP in some New York locations.

But statements such as “Best coffee for the Best You,” “Taste of Inspiration,” “Starbucks or nothing,” and “heart, soul, craft, pride, love[;] you won’t find that ...