NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Armonk, New York-based law firm Wittels McInturff Palikovic (WMP) today filed a class action lawsuit in New York Federal Court to recover tens of millions of dollars for consumers victimized by Manhattan Beer’s illegal billing scheme.
The suit describes how the beer giant boosts profits by adding hidden surcharges to invoices for top-selling brands like Corona, Coors, and Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
Specifically, the company uses deceptive invoices to dupe small businesses into paying bottle deposit charges that are higher than what the law allows. Adding insult to injury, the lawsuit alleges that the beer giant only surcharges its smaller mom and pop customers but not larger customers like supermarket chains.
“Manhattan Beer’s CEO Simon Bergson likes to boast that his company provides ‘best-in-class service’ to its customers,” says lead lawyer Steven L. Wittels. “But you can’t be best if you rip off your customers by collecting millions a year in sham bottle deposit charges,” he adds.
“This isn’t the first time Manhattan Beer has been caught red-handed hurting the little guy,” continues partner J. Burkett McInturff. “A Federal judge recently ruled that Manhattan Beer makes illegal deductions from its workers’ wages in another class action our firm brought against the company.”
With over one billion dollars in annual revenue, and sales of more than 45 million cases of beer and hard beverages a year, the millions Manhattan Beer reaps from its bottle deposit scam translates to even higher profits for company executives.
“Let’s just say that’s a lot of beer money,” adds lead class lawyer Steven L. Wittels, “and the small businesses Manhattan Beer stole it from would like it back.”
A copy of the Class Action Complaint is posted on the firm website wittelslaw.com
and can be obtained by contacting Ethan Roman: edr@wittelslaw.com
The plaintiffs’ legal team, Steven L. Wittels, J. Burkett McInturff, and Ethan D. Roman, has requested a jury trial.
About Wittels McInturff Palikovic
Steven L. Wittels, named a “Super Lawyer” nine years running (2013-21) for his class action litigation success, is a nationally recognized class action attorney who concentrates on consumer fraud, employment, civil rights and general public interest cases, representing plaintiffs to fight consumer fraud, discrimination, labor and wage violations, predatory lending, whistleblower, mass torts, and other wrongs. Mr. Wittels was a lead trial counsel in the largest employment class action ever tried to verdict in New York – which resulted in a $253 million jury award against Novartis. J. Burkett McInturff is also a powerhouse in the class action arena, having recovered more than $100 million for his clients in the past four years.
Contact: Steven L. Wittels slw@wittelslaw.com, (914) 319-9945
J. Burkett McInturff jbm@wittelslaw.com, (910) 476-7253
