Nestlé Consumers Protect Class Status Over Sourcing Conditions

Nestlé USA Inc. failed to convince a federal appeals court Friday to undo class certification in a lawsuit accusing the company of duping buyers into thinking its chocolate products were “responsibly” sourced and produced without child labor or deforestation.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the certification of two-state based classes, one for injunctive relief and one for damages, in an unpublished split ruling.

Named plaintiff Marie Falcone said she bought Nestlé products because of label statements touting them as “sustainably sourced.” She said the labels are misleading because the cocoa was harvested on West African ...