Settlement Reached in Wrigley Eclipse® Class Action Lawsuit

CHICAGO, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is being issued by Blood Hurst & O'Reardon, LLP and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP regarding the Wrigley Eclipse® Class Action Lawsuit.

In May 2009, a class action lawsuit was filed against the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, maker of Eclipse chewing gum and mints.  The lawsuit alleged misleading advertising about the germ-killing properties of Wrigley's Eclipse products. 

Today, the parties announced that they have reached a settlement, subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, in which Wrigley will create a fund of $6 million (plus up to an additional $1 million if needed to satisfy claims) to reimburse eligible consumers up to $10 for qualified purchases of Eclipse chewing gum and mint products with a "natural germ killing" message, and to cover the other costs associated with the settlement. 

Additionally, Wrigley will make certain changes to its marketing and labeling of this product.

"Wrigley has agreed to a settlement of this lawsuit to prevent further distraction to its business and denies any wrongdoing," said Paul Chibe, Wrigley Vice President and General Manager U.S. Gum and Mints.

"We are proud of the benefits that this settlement achieves for consumers," said Jonathan Stein, a partner at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, one of the lead counsel in the case. 

"Consumers deserve well-supported advertising," added Stein's co-lead counsel, Timothy Blood of Blood Hurst & O'Reardon, LLP.

For more information about the settlement, including the process for filing reimbursement claims and other options, consumers will be able to visit www.EclipseSettlement.com or www.rgrdlaw.com/Eclipse. 

For more information about Wrigley and its products, visit www.wrigley.com.

For media inquiries concerning the class or the settlement, contact Timothy Blood, 619-338-1100 or [email protected], or Jonathan Stein, 561-750-3000 or [email protected]. 

For more information about Robbins Geller, visit www.rgrdlaw.com. 

For more information about Blood Hurst, visit www.bholaw.com.

For media inquiries regarding Wrigley, contact: Jennifer Jackson-Luth, Wrigley, North American Communications, 312-212-7733 or [email protected]

SOURCE Blood Hurst & O'Reardon, LLP and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP