STRATEGIC PARTNERS
October 25, 2016
A retiree from Hudson Valley, New York, has filed a $20 million lawsuit against KFC in a New York State Supreme Court for allegedly violating sections of the state's general business laws prohibiting false advertising and misleading trade practices, according to a report in Fortune.
The suit centers on the chain's $20 Fill-up offering, which is advertised as providing enough chicken for a family of four. Pplaintiff Anna Wurtzburger, however,said that's misleading because product commercials show "an overflowing bucket of chicken," and Wurtzburger said her bucket was only half-filled.
The report said that the woman even contacted KFC about the matter and was told that the overflowing bucket in the chain's commercials was portrayed that way so that TV viewers could see the product. The suit, however, claims that KFC was aware it was "intentionally misleading and deceiving the public when it advertised an overflowing bucket of chicken on television, but knew that they would only sell eight pieces of chicken to the public."
The commercial said the bucket contained enough food for a family of four. On the menu itself, the chain states that the $20 Fill-Up comes with eight pieces of chicken, although that fact is not expressed in the television ad, according to the suit, which demands that KFC change its ads for the product and pay Wurtzburger $20 million in damages.
For its part, KFC told Fortune that the lawsuit was "meritless," and the chain's parent company, Yum Brands, will ask the court to dismiss the case.
