If You Recently Bought Anheuser-Busch's Ritas, You May Get Some Money
Being a business owner is not for the faint of heart. Sure, you could wind up a millionaire, but along the way, even tiny mistakes could end up costing you big time, even if the slight is to your reputation more than your bank account. It even happens to big companies. Recently, Newman's Own faced a major lawsuit from Paul Newman's own daughters. Meanwhile, Starbucks is being sued over its Refreshers, and LongHorn Steakhouse is facing a class-action lawsuit from its employees.
Sounds stressful, right? And even the mega-corporations, like Anheuser-Busch InBev, aren't immune. A class-action lawsuit was recently brought against the $219 billion+ company (via Forbes) from customers alleging that the beer behemoth's "Ritas" were misleadingly named and labeled (via Food & Wine). It's similar to the Starbucks refreshers lawsuit, with customers alleging that they assumed that the beverages in question contained certain ingredients, based on the product name alone. And though Starbucks has denied the claims and told Mashed it plans to fight the lawsuit in court, Anheuser-Busch recently made a different decision.
Ritas contain no tequila, but Anheuser-Busch maintains its innocence
To some, it might seem like the name "Ritas" is an abbreviation of margaritas, a cocktail traditionally made with tequila. But in a 2020 class action lawsuit, plaintiffs alleged that the company's 112 different Ritas products are misleadingly named, since they contain no tequila, and in fact no hard liquor at all. Other drinks served up by the brand, including those named "Mojito," "Sangria," and "Rosé," also don't contain the alcohols that their names might allegedly imply (via Top Class Actions). The drinks are all actually flavored malt beverages.
Anheuser-Busch settled the lawsuit while maintaining that it participated in no wrongdoing (via Today). Still, customers who purchased any Ritas products between January 1, 2018 and July 19, 2022 can visit RitaSettlement.com to file a claim. Those with proof of purchase, like a receipt, are eligible for up to $21.25, and those without could still receive up to $9.75, depending on which products they claim to have purchased. It could be a bit of a hit to the Ritas brand, which represented Anheuser-Busch's push to attract more Millennial customers by offering alternatives to traditional beer offerings (CNBC).