A federal court in Miami granted preliminary approval on June 23, 2015, to a class settlement over the marketing of Beck’s beer. Anheuser-Busch agreed to add “Brewed in USA” or “Product of USA” to Beck’s packaging and to offer partial refunds to buyers.
The case
Three Beck’s drinkers sued Anheuser-Busch in 2013 in federal court in Miami (Marty v. Anheuser-Busch Companies, No. 13-cv-23656). They said the brand was marketed as if it were still imported from Germany, with packaging that cited “German quality” and said the beer “originated in Bremen, Germany.” Anheuser-Busch has brewed Beck’s for the USA market in St. Louis since 2012.
Settlement terms
- The class covers people who bought Beck’s in the USA for personal use from May 1, 2011, through the date of the preliminary approval order.
- Refunds range from 10 cents per bottle or can to $1.75 per 20-pack.
- Households can claim up to $50 with proof of purchase, or up to $12 without it.
- For five years, “Brewed in USA” or “Product of USA” must appear on Beck’s bottles, cans, packaging and website.
Anheuser-Busch said in a statement reported by CNBC that it believed its labeling, packaging and marketing of Beck’s had “always been truthful, transparent and in compliance with all legal requirements.”
Final approval
U.S. Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan held a final approval hearing on Oct. 20, 2015, and entered a final order and judgment approving the settlement shortly afterward.
Source & credit
Sources: U.S. District Court, S.D. Florida: Order granting preliminary approval, Marty v. Anheuser-Busch Companies, June 23, 2015, and Final order and judgment, October 2015; CNBC: “Beck’s Beer drinkers feel bamboozled, win refund”, June 26, 2015; Deutsche Welle: “Not all Beck’s beer is German”, June 25, 2015.