Judge tosses L’Oreal très magni-fake lawsuit

A federal judge dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit accusing the cosmetics brand L’Oreal of tricking American shoppers into overpaying for its beauty products by making them believe the products came from France, Reuters reported Tuesday.

In a decision on Monday the judge said L’Oreal’s referring to “Paris” and sprinkling French words on packaging would not deceive reasonable consumers about where its shampoo, mascara and other products came from.

The plaintiff, Veronica Eshelby, claimed she had not noticed the fine print before learning that the products she bought were manufactured in L'Oreal's factory in North Little Rock, Arkansas, or elsewhere in the United States and Canada, according to the wire service.

The ruling, accessed by Reuters, states that reasonable consumers would understand that “Paris” was part of the brand name “L’Oreal Paris,” as L’Oreal is based in Clichy, France, a Paris suburb: “The front label is not so misleading that a reasonable consumer who cared about the country of manufacture should not be expected to look at the full packaging for a disclaimer, which was clearly and correctly provided.”