Red Bull Settlement: Red Bud Does Not Give You Wings, But They May Give You Cash

Do you drink Red Bull? If so, the company may owe you some cash or cool stuff.

A settlement reached last month for customers who drank Red Bull energy drink between 2002 and October 3, 2014 has consumers owed either $10 cash or $15 in Red Bull products. This settlement comes as a result of a lawsuit filed by customers in a class action suit. The plaintiffs argued that they were misled by the company about the benefits of Red Bull, including its catch phrase, “Red Bull Gives You Wings.”

Red Bull has denied they did anything wrong, but has agreed to this settlement to prevent further litigation. They will pay a total of $13 million to its consumers to settle two class-action lawsuits. Consumers involved in this suit argued that the company used marketing that misrepresented both the functionality and safety of the energy drinks.

In a statement that was emailed to CBS MoneyWatch, Red Bull stated that the company “settled to avoid the cost and distraction of litigation. Since 1987, Red Bull’s well-known trademark ‘Gives You Wings’ has been used around the world and will continue to be used in association with its products. Red Bull denies any and all wrongdoing or liability.”

According to Jezebel, the primary plaintiff, Benjamin Careathers, most likely had a personal issue with the company. For most consumers, it was clear that Red Bull’s slogan was tongue in cheek and in no way was meant to convince consumers they would actually sprout their own set of feathery white wings. However, the slogan seemed to give Carethers the edge in the lawsuit.

In his lawsuit, Careathers claimed that Red Bull advertised benefits that were untrue. Some of the benefits listed were increased performance and better reaction speed. Careathers stated that the company made these claims with no scientific evidence to back it up. He also complained the company slogan was inaccurate and misleading.

USA Today reports that in order to receive cash or products, consumers will have to fill out a claims form. No proof of purchase is necessary. There are four different ways to submit a claims form.

1. Online at http://energydrinksettlement.com/claim (filed online by no later than March 2, 2015)

2. By email to the Class Action Settlement Administrator at energydrinksettlement@gcginc.com

3. By fax to the Class Action Settlement Administrator at 844-553-1373

4. By mail to the Class Action Settlement Administrator at Energy Drink Settlement, c/o GCG, P.O. Box 35123, Seattle, WA 98124-5123

No matter your choice of submission, all claim forms must be submitted no later than March 2, 2015.

A hearing will be held on May 1, 2015, to decide if the settlement will be approved by the courts. If approved, the cash or products must be distributed within 150 days of the settlements approval.