Illinois residents who purchased Hill's Prescription Diet® pet food from any retailer (including any veterinary clinic) since March 2, 2014, may be affected by a Class Action Lawsuit

News provided by

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Feb 21, 2024, 08:00 ET

CHICAGO, Feb. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

What is this lawsuit about? It is about whether Hill's marketing and sale of its Prescription Diet^® branded pet food pursuant to a veterinary prescription is deceptive under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act ("Act") because the products do not contain a drug or medicine and are not actual prescription products legally required to be sold by prescription. It is also about whether Hill's marketing and sale of Prescription Diet^®pet food as requiring a veterinary prescription and as intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in pets, even though the products have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is unfair under the Act because such conduct violates public policy, or is unethical or unscrupulous. Finally, it is about whether Hill's conduct caused consumers to overpay for Prescription Diet^®products. Hill's strongly disputes these allegations and contends that its practice of selling Prescription Diet^®pet food only to consumers whose veterinarians have prescribed it is in the best interest of pets and is no way deceptive, unfair, unethical, or unscrupulous. Hill's further contends that it has not done anything to cause consumers to overpay for Prescription Diet^®products. The Court has not made any determination as to who is right.

Note. Veterinarians are not a party to this lawsuit, and the lawsuit is not about whether any specific pet food, including Prescription Diet^®, has been determined to be good or bad for your pet. If you are considering changing your pet's diet or have questions about your pet's diet, please consult your veterinarian.

The Court has decided that everyone who fits the following description is a Class Member: All Illinois residents who purchased Hill's Prescription Diet^®pet food from any retailer (including any veterinary clinic) in Illinois since March 2, 2014. Excluded from the definition are: (a) Defendants, their legal representatives, officers, directors, assigns, and successors; (b) Judges to whom this case is assigned and their staffs; (c) the attorneys and expert witnesses involved in this matter; and (d) all persons or entities that purchased Prescription Diet^®pet food for resale. If you are a member of the class, you are one of the participants on whose behalf the lawsuit was brought, and this Notice applies to you.

What are your Options? If you are a Class Member, you must choose whether to stay in the Class. If you stay in the Class, you keep the possibility of getting money or benefits that may come from a trial or settlement of this lawsuit, but you give up any rights to sue Hill's separately about the legal claims asserted in this lawsuit, and you will be bound by the outcome of the lawsuit. If you want to stay in the Class, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING NOW.

To exclude yourself from the lawsuit, you must send a letter asking to be excluded. Instructions for making this request can be found at the website or by calling the toll-free telephone number below. You must mail your exclusion request postmarked by May 21, 2024. If you exclude yourself, you keep any rights to sue Hill's separately about the legal claims asserted in this lawsuit, but you will lose the benefits, if any, attained by the Class Representatives in the lawsuit. You can hire your own lawyer at your own expense. More information on the case is available at www.HillsPrescriptionDietClassAction.com or by calling 1-877-425-7652.

URL: www.HillsPrescriptionDietClassAction.com

SOURCE United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois