Fourth District Judge … Essential oils purveyor Young Living has been ordered to cease making ‘therapeutic grade’ claims on its products, according to a National Advertising Division decision. The NAD decision is not the only legal and regulatory hurdle currently facing Young Living. In 2019 the company was listed as the world’s 10th largest MLM with annual revenues of almost $2 billion by industry publication Direct Selling News​, which publishes an annual list. The company was named as the defendant in another proposed class action lawsuit filed in April 2019 over similar allegations as in the one detailed here. The suit argues that despite Young Living’s promises that members can “take control of [their] future” and “achieve [their] dream of independence and security,” most members end up losing money instead of making it—the tell-tale mark of a pyramid scheme, the case says. dataLayerNews.related_tags = sanitize_gpt_value2("Essential oil, Essential oils, claims substantiation, Claims"); After joining, the new member allegedly pays a cash bonus to the “upline” member who recruited him or her and is then given the opportunity to earn commissions and certain bonuses by building a “downline” made up of new distributors recruited by the member and his or her recruits. 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NAD went further to say that Young Living did not submit sufficient scientific evidence to back claims that its essential oils: Young Living issued a statement in which it said it “disagrees with, and will appeal to NARB ​(National Advertising Division Review Board), NAD’s failure to credit valid survey data and published research in support of ‘therapeutic grade’ claims and claims that certain, carefully formulated products promote stability, calmness, relaxation, sleep, stress and tension relief, clarity, focus, energy, rational decision making, and alertness.” ​. vOut = vOut.toLowerCase(); Young Living lost that lawsuit last year; doTERRA argued the suit never had merit and Young Living should pay its legal fees. Like always, we’ll do our best to keep you updated when the time comes. There’s potential to earn free products, transform your financial future, and bring life changing solutions to homes around the world. According to the lawsuit, the median monthly income of 94 percent of Young Living’s members in 2016 was $0, with the average monthly income amounting to a “dismal” $1. Become a Member. Related tags: Copyright - Unless otherwise stated all contents of this web site are © 2021 - William Reed Business Media Ltd - All Rights Reserved - Full details for the use of materials on this site can be found in the Terms & Conditions, Related topics: The environmental groups argue in the lawsuit filed in 2019 that in the more than two decades since the policy took effect, black bear hunters using bait have killed at least 10 grizzly bears. Erin works primarily on ClassAction.org’s newswire, reporting on cases as they happen. class action complaint page 1 of 36 2909581.3 united states district court western district of texas austin division julie o’shaughnessy, individually, and on behalf of all others similarly situated, plaintiff. Keep in mind that it could take months or years for this lawsuit to reach resolution. Young Living is a multi-level marketing company based in Lehi, Utah.Founded by Donald Gary Young in 1993, it sells essential oils and other related products.. In April 2019 Young Living was hit by a class action lawsuit. dataLayer.push(dataLayerNews); Learn more about the benefits of being a member! function sanitize_gpt_value2(gptValue) After a 5 year court battle, Young Living's $350 million lawsuit against four former executives has been dismissed. Sign up to our free newsletter and get the latest news sent direct to your inbox. “This is not ‘abundance,’” the complaint scathes. Please download the PDF to view it: Download PDF. Despite being “well aware” of the 70/30 rule, Young Living, the case argues, encourages members to violate the rule and continuously purchase more products without having to provide proof that any sales have been made. In April, the company lost a bid to force a class action lawsuit filed in California to go to arbitration​​. According to the class-action complaint, which seeks more than $5 million in damages, Young Living’s … The case further alleges that company founder Gary Young has also been the subject of some controversy, noting that he was prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license and once ran a now-shuttered “Young Living Research Clinic” in Utah where he allegedly employed a “quack physician” convicted of manslaughter. Young Living is not a stranger to class actions either. The case seeks to cover anyone in the United States who, “within the relevant statute of limitations periods,” was a Young Living distributor. This summer, the years-long lawsuit between Young Living and their competetor doTerra was thrown out, and doTerra was exonorated of all wrongdoing. This is not to mention the “significant additional outlays” of time and money that Young Living members must pay in order to maintain their businesses, the case says. The Young Living pyramid scheme class action lawsuit cites Young Living’s 2015 income disclosure statement, which reported that members made an average of $30 in 2015 and $25 in 2016. If the case settles, anyone affected should receive notice (usually by mail) with instructions on what to do next. 27-Jul-2020 at 15:21 GMT. Typically, you don’t need to do anything to join a class action lawsuit. Multi-level marketing outfit Young Living Essential Oils finds itself among the defendants in a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges the “cult-like” organization’s sale of essential oils for ostensibly medical purposes is nothing more than a pyramid scheme that prioritizes paid recruitment of new members over sales profits. for (var i=0; i < aTags.length; i++) While there’s certainly a lot of science that backs up certain medicinal uses of essential oils, they … is actually an illegal pyramid scheme that thrives at the expense of its members. $(document).ready(function() { - Last updated on if(i!=(aTags.length-1)) The lawsuit describes Young Living as having a “complex and intentionally hard-to-understand multi-layer compensation/participation structure,” which, according to the complaint, is largely focused on recruiting new members. vOut +=', '; Multi-level marketing outfit Young Living Essential Oils finds itself among the defendants in a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges the “cult-like” organization’s sale of essential oils for ostensibly medical purposes is nothing more than a pyramid scheme that prioritizes paid recruitment of new members over sales profits. Jared Turner, Benjamin Riley, Mary Young, The Young Living Foundation, Inc. and Young Living Essential Oils, LC: Case Number: 1:2019cv00412: Filed: April 12, 2019: Court: US District Court for the Western District of Texas: ... 2019: DEMAND for Trial by Jury by Julie O'Shaughnessy. In order to make money from the system, … To reach the level at which a member can earn the “riches” represented by Young Living is “near impossible,” according to the complaint, and would involve building a downline of “thousands” of recruits. April 2019: A class-action lawsuit was filed against Young Living and three of its executives alleging that the MLM company is a pyramid scheme and that members are rewarded for recruiting others to join instead of selling … Young Living is a company that flaunts the belief that essential oils, which are popular folk remedies, can be useful for curing everything from the common cold to ebola. var aTags = gptValue.split(','); According to the lawsuit, this isn’t the first time Young Living has come under fire for potentially shady business practices. Young Living Essential Oils Reviews - Great Business in 2019 or … return vOut; var vOut=""; that the financial success of its members is “overwhelmingly dependent” on their recruitment of new members rather than the sale of products. Faced with the reality that their “only opportunity” to earn enough income is through recruitment, most Young Living members find that they must spend hundreds of dollars every month on the company’s products in order to remain eligible to receive commissions from their downline, the case alleges. And Defendant’s misleading and deceptive representations concerning a consumer’s ability to earn income does not only violate Defendant’s self-professed values—it’s unlawful.”. Free newsletter Before commenting, please review our comment policy. Though not all MLM businesses are illegitimate, the lawsuit argues Young Living exhibits the “defining characteristic” of an illegal pyramid scheme—that the financial success of its members is “overwhelmingly dependent” on their recruitment of new members rather than the sale of products. UPDATE 12/10/19: A new pyramid scheme lawsuit has been filed against Young Living in California federal court. Not mentioned in the complaint are allegations that Young ran another clinic in Tijuana, Mexico where an undercover reporter was told he was suffering from cancer after he submitted fake blood samples taken from “a healthy 7-year-old, 20-pound tabby cat” and a chicken. Regulation, Free newsletter var reg = new RegExp('\\W+', "g"); vOut += aTags[i].trim().replace(reg, '-').substring(0,40); According to the lawsuit, Young Living fails to track and enforce what the complaint calls the “70/30 rule.” The rule stems from a 1979 Federal Trade Commission ruling that aimed to prevent MLM companies from encouraging their representatives to “inventory load.” Under the “rule,” representatives must sell at least 70 percent of their inventory before purchasing more, the suit explains. This browser does not support PDFs. NAD cases are mostly brought by competitors, but the organization also independently reviews claims, especially recently in regards to the many products popping up that are making coronavirus claims​​. In 2017, Young Living reportedly paid $760,000 after pleading guilty to the illegal trafficking of rosewood and spikenard oil in violation of the Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act. Young Living, the $1.5 Billion Essential Oil Co., is a "Cult-Like … Through the painstaking steps of our proprietary Seed to Seal® process, we produce pure, authentic essential … The Young Living class action lawsuit states that this kit includes one bottle of “stress away” essential oil, samples of other oils, an atomizer, and other resources for new members. According to O’Shaughnessy, more than 50% of new members in … Lightfoot, who won office in April 2019, later said she was informed by staff in November 2019 of emails but didn't have a recollection of them. See BBB rating, reviews, complaints, & more. Double ouch. Essential oils purveyor Young Living has been ordered to cease making ‘therapeutic grade’ claims on its products, according to a National Advertising Division … Young Living are quite protective of this “seed to seal” process, having gone so far as to file a lawsuit against rival essential oil opportunity doTerra in 2013. { Subscribe, By Hank Schultz The … Subscribe ClassAction.org is a group of online professionals (designers, developers and writers) with years of experience in the legal industry. In 2018, the company ranked 15th with an annual revenue figure of $1.52 billion. Rather than offering the ability to “create abundance,” Young Living has allegedly provided most of its members with nothing but an opportunity to lose money while lining the company’s pockets. The judge ruled that Young Living pursued the lawsuit in bad faith. Because they are classified as independent contractors rather than employees, members must shoulder the cost of traveling to Young Living conferences, organizing sales events, and paying for employment taxes and health insurance, the suit explains. Lawsuit Calls Young Living Essential Oils A “Pyramid Scheme”. Filed in California federal court, the 33-page lawsuit claims Young Living’s promises of financial gain are “nothing more than a pipe dream” and that the company is actually an illegal pyramid scheme that thrives at the expense of its members. Not every company chooses to submit financial information for the assembly of the list every year, and Young Living was not listed in the 2020 version. { contact, 27-Jul-2020 As a Young Living member, you’ll find more than essential oils—you’ll find a new lifestyle. Fast forward to 2018 and nearly 89 percent of members earned an average yearly income of $4, the case alleges. In 2014, the company received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in which the agency accused Young Living of promoting some of its essential oil products as unapproved new drugs for the treatment of all kinds of diseases, including Ebola, Parkinson’s disease, autism, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and dementia. Rather, the entire system is designed for one purpose: to recruit new Members to grow the illegal pyramid, which only benefits Defendant and those very few Members at the top.”. Young Living is the World Leader in Essential Oils®. In 2017, Young Living was sentenced for the Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act violations and paid $760,000 in fines, forfeiture, and community service. The company sells a variety of essential oil-based personal care, aromatherapy and dietary supplement products. Essential oil, Essential oils, claims substantiation, Claims When a recruit signs up to be a Young Living distributor, he or she must purchase a “starter kit” that ranges in price from $35 (the “basic” kit) to $165 (the “premium” kit) and can be even more expensive depending on the options selected, the case says. According to the case, while the plaintiff claims to have lost nearly $2,000 participating in the defendant’s alleged scheme, Young Living, by contrast, racked in over $1.5 billion in sales in 2017. The company said it plans to appeal. NAD however evaluated the same consumer research and concluded that those some consumers could in fact be making a connection of treatment benefit. Victim of 2019 botched raid cancels meeting with Lightfoot | … Founded in 1993 by D. Gary Young, Utah-based Young Living is set up as a multilevel marketing (MLM) operation whose flagship product is essential oils, the case explains. “Rather, this is the very definition of an illegal pyramid scheme. “But most pernicious of all,” the lawsuit says, “is that Defendant’s immense wealth is derived from a vast, illegal pyramid scheme that has caused countless unwitting victims to lose substantial sums of money.”. In the NAD ruling, which was the result of a challenge by competitor S.C. Johnson & Son Inc, Young Living was directed to drop the ‘therapeutic grade’ claim on its products because the claim “conveys an unsupported message that the essential oils confer a beneficial healing physical or mental health effect on the body or mind.”, Young Living countered that it did not agree with that assessment, saying that the results of its consumer research show that end users are not inferring a treatment benefit from the term ‘therapeutic grade.’. The case, which alleges that Young Living’s business model constitutes an illegal pyramid scheme, is now set to go to trial. dataLayerNews = {}; In both 2016 and 2018, the complaint states, over 96 percent of Young Living’s members lost money working for the company, with many totaling a loss of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. over 96 percent of Young Living’s members lost money working for the company, Last Updated on December 11, 2019 — 10:12 AM. } According to a proposed class action lawsuit filed this week, Young Living Essential Oils, LC sells not just essential oils, but a “convincing lie” that has deceived recruits into believing they could transform their financial futures by signing up with the company as distributors. You can find out more about the process here. This time a California woman alleges she lost thousands of dollars in an alleged scheme run by Young Living Essential Oils in its effort to recruit distributors. April 19, 2019. In the case, Young Living alleged that doTERRA founders violated their employment contracts and stole trade secrets. DoTERRA was formed in 2008 by a fired chief operating officer of Young Living, David N. Sterling, and other … I was so sure the ruling would go in Young Living’s favor, that this … The Lawsuit Against $1.5 Billion Essential Oil "Scammer" Young … And in 2018, the company was ordered to pay $1.8 million in a lawsuit against a competitor that the judge determined was filed by Young Living in “bad faith.” Young Living is not a stranger to class actions either. In 2012, Young Living accused David Stirling, Emily Wright, Justin Harrison, and Lillian Shepherd of breaking nonsolicitation agreements in their employment contracts. SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) – A California woman alleges she lost thousands of dollars in an alleged scheme run by Young This organization is not BBB accredited. Essential Oils in Lehi, UT. } v. young living essential oils, lc d/b/a young living essential oils, the young living foundation, inc., mary young, jared turner, benjamin riley, In response, Young Living filed a lawsuit against doTERRA for stealing their “trade secrets” but the case was eventually dismissed and Young Living was forced to pay doTERRA’s almost $2 million in legal fees. In 2016 the company ranked 20th on the list with a reported $1 billion revenue. “In short,” the complaint reads, “this is not a system designed to sell product to those outside the pyramid. The National Advertising Division is part of Better Business Bureau’s National Programs. }); Young Living, a multi level marketing company based in Lehi, UT, is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing sellers of essential oil products. Jury finds doTERRA committed no wrongdoing against Young Living, lawsuit ... 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