Walmart Avocado Oil Buyers Get Class Status in Adulteration Suit

A consumer convinced a federal judge to grant class certification in his suit alleging Walmart Inc.'s Great Value Avocado Oil is blended with poor quality or cheaper oils but is misleadingly sold as unadulterated.

Judge R. Gary Klausner certified a California consumer class Thursday. The class could include thousands of buyers, according to the plaintiff’s certification motion.

Klausner rejected Walmart’s repeated argument that the consumer didn’t show the oil was actually adulterated so he doesn’t have actionable claims and the class would have zero members. Walmart’s argument essentially requires the plaintiff to establish liability before class certification, the US District ...