In fact, Pret A Manger is facing a class action lawsuit, filed in New York federal court. The suit accuses the defendant of packaging their sandwiches in a deceitful manner. That’s to say, the international sandwich shop chain makes consumers think they get more sandwich than they really do.
The plaintiff who filed the lawsuit against Pret A Manger is Yee Ting Lau. The plaintiff points out that it was on June 12, 2017, when she bought Chakalaka Wrap from the defendant. Thus, Ms. Lau was indeed disappointed when she saw only two sandwich halves, which were separated by a full inch of empty space.
In addition to that, the plaintiff explains that there was a piece of cardboard in order to hide the empty space. For this reason, Ms. Lau couldn’t understand that she wasn’t buying a whole sandwich, as the lawsuit states.
C.K. Lee and Anne Seelig of Lee Litigation Group PLLC are representing the plaintiff.
Details
According to the consumer fraud lawsuit, the plaintiff, as well as other class members, experienced an economic harm because of the defendant’s deceptive practices. In other words, Ms. Lau and other class members spent money believing that they are purchasing a full portion of the products. However, the suit claims what they got was less than a full portion. Furthermore, if they had become aware of it, they wouldn’t have taken this step.
Thus, the suit notes the international sandwich shop violated the following law: the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The plaintiff mentioned in her complaint that Pret A Manger did the packaging of sandwich wraps in a way to make the impression that there is a full sandwich inside.
This is not true, as sandwich wraps contain from 1 to 2.5 inches of empty space. So, the plaintiff refers to the nonfunctional slack fill used by the defendant and asserts that this doesn’t have a legitimate purpose.
Additionally, the lawsuit says the packaging of defendant’s other products, like the Spicy Chicken and Avocado Flatbread, lack a slack fill. This means that the space is not functional.
What the lawsuit seeks
The plaintiff spent $7.49 to purchase Chakalaka Wrap. She is seeking to represent a national class. Lau notes that Pret A Manger violated New York and federal trade practices and false advertising laws. Thus, she seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
About Pret A Manger
As a matter of fact, Pret A Manger is based in the United Kingdom. Its foundation dates back to 1983 when the first shop opened in London. The International sandwich shop chain aims to provide consumers with fresh and healthy food, which doesn’t contain any chemicals, as well as preservatives.
