According to a recent lawsuit, Subway tuna sandwiches have no tuna in them! However, is this true? Well, the fast-food sandwich chain certainly doesn’t think so! They responded quickly…
Subway Misleading Customers?
It all started when Karen Dhanowa and Nilima Amin, two California residents, filed a lawsuit against Subway in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The two stated that they “were tricked into buying food items that wholly lacked the ingredients they reasonably thought they were purchasing.” Specifically, they claim that Subway’s tuna sandwiches contain a “mixture of various concoctions that do not constitute tuna, yet have been blended together by defendants to imitate the appearance of tuna.”
“Consumers are consistently misled into purchasing the products for the commonly known and/or advertised benefits and characteristics of tuna when in fact no such benefits could be had, given that the products are in fact devoid of tuna,” the lawsuit reads. An attorney representing Amin and Dhanowa Alex J. Brown added that their team is trying to find out what the “tuna” has inside. So far, apparently, they only know it doesn’t have any fish in it.
Of course, very quickly, Subway had something to say about the allegations…
ResponseTo The Allegations
Within days, Maggie Truax, Subway’s spokesperson, claiming that the lawsuit is nothing more than lies and garbage. Maggie Truax, the company’s spokesperson, said that the lawsuit is full of lies! “Subway delivers 100% cooked tuna to its restaurants, which is mixed with mayonnaise and used in freshly made sandwiches, wraps, and salads that are served to and enjoyed by our guests,” she said. Truax also stated that Subway “intends to fight these claims through all available avenues if they are not immediately dismissed.”
According to the lawsuit, Amin and Dhanowa want to receive compensatory damages, punitive damages, as well as the attorneys’ fees covered. Lastly, they want Subway to remove any labeling calling the product tuna. “The firm’s litigation team and its supporting counsel are currently in the initial stages of litigation and preparing for an April court appearance, where Honorable Donna Ryu will set a trial date,” Amin and Dhanowa’s representative said.
Lawsuit Trend
This lawsuit is nothing new. According to Subway, this has become the new norm. “Unfortunately, this lawsuit is part of a trend in which the named plaintiffs’ attorneys have been targeting the food industry in an effort to make a name for themselves in that space,” Truax said. She’s right that Subway has dealt with many of these issues before. Of course, in 2017 a customer sued the company, claiming the foot-long subs were actually only 11 inches!
Yet, if the lawsuit is certified as a class-action, it could become a huge problem for Subway. Any customer who bought tuna sandwiches or wraps after January 21, 2017, could demand a piece of the lawsuit payment. That’s a lot of refunds!
Sources: MSN, The Today Show