Pleading Wizard

CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

KNEUPPER & COVEY, PC

Kevin Kneupper, Esq. (CA SBN 325413)

kevin@kneuppercovey.com

4475 Peachtree Lakes Dr.

Berkeley Lake GA 30096

Tel: 512-420-8407

Attorneys for Plaintiff Cindy Adam

and the putative Class

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

CINDY ADAM

, individually and on b

ehalf

of all others similarly situated,

Plaintiff,

vs.

FRANK V. BARON

E; KIRILL

CHUM

ENKO; GREEN POGO LLC

(

DELAWARE); GREEN POGO LLC

(NEW JERSEY);

NATURAL BEAUTY

LINE LLC; VEGAN BEAUTY

LLC;

IMPROVED N

UTRACEUTICALS LLC;

FORTERA NUTRA SOLUTIONS LLC;

ADV

ANCED BEAUTY LLC; SFLG

INC.; KURT ELLIS;

and JOHN DOES 1-

10,

Defendant(s)

)

Case No.:

CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

FOR:

(1)

Violation of California’s Consumer

Legal Remedies Act

;

(2)

Violation of California’s False

Adver

tising Law;

(3)

Violation of the Unfair and Fraudulent

Prongs

of California’s Unfair Competition

Law

;

(4)

Violation of the Unlawful Prong

California

’s Unfair Competition Law;

(

5) Violation of California’s Automatic

Renewal

Law;

(

6) Violation of the Electronic Fund

Transfer

Act;

(7)

Civil RICO;

(8) Aiding and A

betting;

(9) Co

nspiracy.

DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL

Plaintiff Cindy Adam, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated

nationwide and in the State of California, by and through the undersigned counsel, hereby

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file this Class Action Complaint against Defendants FRANK V. BARONE; KIRILL

CHUMENKO; GREEN POGO LLC (DELAWARE); GREEN POGO LLC (NEW

JERSEY); NATURAL BEAUTY LINE LLC; VEGAN BEAUTY LLC; IMPROVED

NUTRACEUTICALS LLC; FORTERA NUTRA SOLUTIONS LLC; ADVANCED

BEAUTY LLC; SFLG INC.; KURT ELLIS; and JOHN DOES 1 THROUGH 10,

collectively “Defendants,” and allege as follows:

JURISDICTION AND VENUE

1. This Court has jurisdiction over this matter because this is a class action in

which, on information and belief, the damages exceed $5 million, exclusive of interest

and costs, the number of class members exceeds 100, and as demonstrated below, the

parties are diverse pursuant to the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 ("CAFA"), 28

U.S.C. § 1332(d). The believed scope of the damages and number of class members are

based on Plaintiff’s investigation and the BBB report attached as Exhibit 1, as well as the

information filed in prior lawsuits against Defendants as discussed further below.

2. This court also has jurisdiction because Plaintiff’s Electronic Fund Transfer

Act claim, 15 U.S.C. § 1693e, arises under federal law.

3. This court also has jurisdiction because Plaintiff’s Racketeer Influenced and

Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) claim, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961, et seq., arises under

federal law.

4. This Court has supplemental jurisdiction over the state law claims in this

action pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367.

5. This Court has personal jurisdiction over Defendants because Defendants are

authorized to conduct and do business in California, including this District. Defendants

marketed, promoted, distributed, and sold their products in California, and Defendants

have sufficient minimum contacts with this State and/or sufficiently availed themselves

of the markets in this State through their promotion, sales, distribution, and marketing

within this State, including this District, to render the exercise of jurisdiction by this

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Court permissible. As described in further detail herein, each Defendant purposely

directed their conduct towards California residents.

6. Venue is proper in this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1391(a) and (b)

because a substantial part of the events giving rise to Plaintiff’s claims occurred while

they resided in this judicial district, including signing up for a “free trial” of the products

at issue.

INTRADISTRICT ASSIGNMENT

7. The Plaintiff is a resident of Daly City, CA and a substantial part of the

events or omissions which give rise to the claim occurred there. Daly City, CA is located

in San Mateo County. Pursuant to Civil L.R. 3-2(d), assignment is appropriate in the San

Francisco Division or the Oakland Division.

NATURE OF THE ACTION

8. This suit involves a form of fraud and cybercrime that has become

increasingly common across the Internet, known as the celebrity free trial scam. These

scams entice consumers with fake celebrity endorsements, claiming that well-known

celebrities have either endorsed or created a new line of cosmetics products. The

operators of these scams offer consumers a “free trial”—just pay the shipping and

handling, and you can try these amazing new products for free.

9. But the products are anything but free. The scammers’ only goal is to

fraudulently obtain the victim’s credit card or bank account information. And once they

have it, they begin billing their victims for subscriptions they never signed up for, never

agreed to, and were never properly informed of. Using multiple websites, the scammers

present one face to the consumer—a website offering the free trial with no disclosure of a

subscription, or a disclosure buried in a terms of service on a separate page—and a totally

different face to any banks investigating complaints, a second website which appears to

fully comply with the law and fully disclose those subscriptions. But that second website,

the “false front,” is never actually viewed by the consumer. Instead, the consumer signs

up for the fake “free trial” from a well-hidden landing page on a totally different website.

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Consumers are left with no recourse—the scammers have defrauded their banks into

believing they consented to be billed, when in fact they did not.

10. These scammers operate in rings, as described in Exhibit 1. Those rings

generally include: (1) affiliates, who are paid to advertise the fake celebrity

endorsements, (2) creators of the product, who sell it and commit bank fraud by operating

the “false front” websites, (3) fulfillment companies, who ship the product for a variety of

scammers under the pretense of being a “nutra” manufacturer, and (4) “crooked

processors” who assist the scammers in avoiding detection by bank and credit card

companies.

11. These rings of scammers are structured in this way in the mistaken belief

that the members of the ring will avoid liability by pretending to be legitimate businesses

and pretending to have no knowledge of the actions of the others. But every member

knows full well what they are doing—the fulfillment companies are often inundated with

complaints, the creators of the product intentionally seek out affiliates to do their dirty

work under the pretense of “independent contractor” agreements, and the “crooked

processors” openly pitch themselves as being able to help their customers avoid fraud

detection and chargebacks.

12. Ms. Adam was a victim of these scammers—but many others have been as

well. This lawsuit seeks to hold accountable the members of the conspiracy that

defrauded her, defrauded her bank, and defrauded many other consumers as well.

THE PARTIES

Plaintiff

13. PLAINTIFF CINDY ADAM is a citizen of the state of California and

resides in Daly City, CA, and resided there at the time of her purchase of the Nuvega

Lash products. On or around August 24, 2017, she signed up for a “free trial” of Nuvega

Lash and was billed multiple times that day for their products. She was billed again

without her permission on September 7, 2017 and September 8, 2017, resulting in an

insufficient funds fee charged by her bank because of the unexpected billing. While she

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received a partial reversal of some of the charges from her bank, ultimately she was

unable to recover all of the money taken from her by the Defendants.

The Defendants

14. FRANK V. BARONE is a resident of the state of New Jersey residing at 9

Crest Fruit Ct., Manalapan, NJ 07726. He is listed as a member or manager of the Green

Pogo LLC entity incorporated in New Jersey and as that entity’s authorized

representative. He is a manager of Fortera Nutra Solutions LLC.

15. KIRILL CHUMENKO is a resident of the state of New Jersey residing at 74

Thompson Grove Rd., Manalapan, NJ 07726-0772. He is the Managing Member of

Vegan Beauty LLC. Along with Defendant Barone, Defendant Chumenko operated

various websites promoting Nuvega Lash and related products through a collection of

shell companies.

16. GREEN POGO LLC (Delaware) is a Delaware corporation whose registered

agent is The Company Corporation, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. It was

formed on January 29, 2016.

17. GREEN POGO LLC (New Jersey) is an identically named New Jersey

corporation with a registered address of 830 Bear Tavern Road, West Trenton, NJ 08628,

and a main business address of 9 Crest Fruit Ct., Manalapan, NJ 07726. It was formed on

February 16, 2016 by Defendant Frank V. Barone. Hereinafter the two Green Pogo LLC

entities are collectively referred to as “Green Pogo.” Together, these entities sold Nuvega

Lash and related products through their websites.

18. NATURAL BEAUTY LINE LLC is a Delaware corporation registered to do

business in New Jersey with an address of 74 Thompson Grove Rd., Manalapan, NJ

07726-0772. The websites shopnuvega.com, www.nuveganlashes.com, and

www.nuveganbrows.com state at the bottom of the website that they are operated by

Natural Beauty Line LLC at 74 Thompson Grove Road, Manalapan, NJ 07726

(Defendant Chumenko’s home address).

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19. VEGAN BEAUTY LLC is a Delaware corporation whose registered agent is

The Company Corporation, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. It was formed

on October 10, 2016. It has a branch office in New Jersey. Vegan Beauty LLC has

previously been sued over a contract dispute involving its purchase of affiliate marketing

services for the Nuvega Products. Defendant Kirill Chumenko is the Managing Member

of Vegan Beauty LLC.

20. IMPROVED NUTRACEUTICALS LLC is a Delaware Corporation whose

registered agent is The Company Corporation, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE

19808. It was formed on March 11, 2016. It operates the website nuvegavegan.com,

listing its business address as 9 Crest Fruit Ct, Manalapan NJ 07726 (Defendant Barone’s

home address).

21. FORTERA NUTRA SOLUTIONS LLC (previously Next Gen Health

Solutions LLC) is a New York corporation with a New Jersey branch office located at

500 Campus Drive, Morganville, NJ 07751.

On information and belief, Frank Barone is

a manager of the company, as evidenced by his amendment of its Articles of

Incorporation on the company’s behalf.

The manufacturer of the Nuvega Products,

Nutracosmetic GmbH, has repeatedly shipped imported cosmetics to another Defendant

also located at this address, Advanced Beauty LLC.

Numerous consumers have

complained on the BBB page for Next Gen Health Solutions LLC that they were

fraudulently billed for subscriptions of Nuvega Products which they did not sign up for.

Red Fortera Trademark, Amendment and Mail Processing Stylesheet,

http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn87736922&docId=AMC20181122063236#docI

ndex=5&page=1 (last visited Jan. 8, 2020).

Certificate of Amendment of the Articles of Incorporation of Next Gen Health

Solutions LLC,

http://tsdr.uspto.gov/caseviewer/assignments?caseId=87736922&docIndex=0&searchprefi

x=sn#docIndex=0 (last visited Jan. 9, 2020).

Import Genius Summary for Advance Beauty,

https://www.importgenius.com/importers/advance-beauty (last visited Jan. 8, 2020).

Next Gen Health Solutions LLC Better Business Bureau Page,

https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/morganville/profile/vitamins-and-supplements/next-gen-

health-solutions-llc-0221-90181958/complaints#280204376 (last visited Jan. 8,

2020).

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On information and belief, Fortera Nutra Solutions LLC used its merchant account or

accounts to bill victims of the Nuvega Lash scheme.

22. ADVANCED BEAUTY LLC is a Delaware corporation whose registered

agent is The Company Corporation, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. It was

formed on October 3, 2016. It has a New Jersey branch incorporated on April 20, 2017.

Advanced Beauty LLC is located at the same address as Fortera Nutra Solutions LLC,

and it has accepted shipments of cosmetics from the manufacturer of the Nuvega

Products which, on information and belief, included Nuvega Lash. Advanced Beauty

LLC is the company behind a product called Advanced Lash, also sold by Defendants

Barone and Chumenko.

The company’s address is listed there as: 3 Welner Court,

Manalapan NJ 07726. On information and belief, a merchant account attributable to this

shell company was used to bill Plaintiff Adam and other members of the Class under the

name “Advancedlash.”

23. SFLG INC., previously known as Great Lakes Fulfillment Services, is a

Maine corporation located at 41 Canal St., Lewiston, ME 04240. On information and

belief, SFLG Inc. is currently owned by GLF 2.0 LLC, a Delaware corporation.

24. KURT ELLIS is a resident of Maine. Mr. Ellis founded Great Lakes

Fulfillment Services in 2002, serving as President of the company until it was acquired in

August 2019 by Jet Mail Services.

As of August 2019, Mr. Ellis had agreed to remain

with the company as its President.

25. DEFENDANTS JOHN DOE 1 THROUGH 10 are any other individuals,

corporations, or entities responsible for advertising or promoting the Nuvega Products

(Nuvega Lash, Nuvega Eyelash Serum, Nuvega Brow, Nuvega Eyebrow Serum,

Advanced Lash Brow Formula, http://www.advancedbrowformula.com/terms.html (last

visited Jan. 29, 2020).

Jet Mail Services to Compete in the E-Commerce Fulfillment Sector, POST AND PARCEL,

Aug. 20, 2019 at https://postandparcel.info/112643/news/e-commerce/jet-mail-

services-to-compete-in-the-e-commerce-fulfilment-sector/ (last visited Dec. 11,

2019).

Id.

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Advanced Lash, Evolips, and Evolips Volumizing Gloss), and any individuals,

corporations, or entities providing the capacity to evade fraud detection through services

relating to credit card or debit card processing. The true names and capacities of the

Defendants sued herein as JOHN DOE 1 through 10, inclusive, are currently unknown to

Plaintiff, who therefore sues such Defendants by fictitious names. Each of the Defendants

designated as a JOHN DOE is legally responsible for the unlawful acts alleged herein.

Plaintiff will seek leave of Court to amend this Complaint to reflect the true names and

capacities of the JOHN DOE Defendants when such identities become known.

FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS

Background on Free Trial Scams

26. The Internet has been plagued in recent years by a flood of scams targeting

consumers for “free trials” that are anything but free. Relying on fake news articles and

fake celebrity endorsements, the scammers convince customers that they are signing up

for a free trial of a product endorsed by a high-profile celebrity. But the customer soon

discovers that they are being billed each and every month as part of a subscription they

were never properly informed of and never agreed to. These scams are not just

deceptive—they are criminal. This lawsuit seeks to shut down a ring of scammers who

defrauded an unknown number of people, including the named plaintiff Cindy Adam.

27. The Better Business Bureau (“BBB”) issued a study in December 2018 titled

“Subscription Traps and Deceptive Free Trials Scam Millions with Misleading Ads and

Fake Celebrity Endorsements.” Ex. 1. Written by C. Steven Baker, an International

Investigations Specialist for the BBB and former Director for the Midwest Region of the

Federal Trade Commission, the report explains in detail the tactics used by scammers to

exploit customers who are unaware of their fraudulent techniques.

28. According to the report, these scams have “infested the internet and social

media.” Ex. 1 at 1. The report provides a detailed explanation of how the scams work—

one that is virtually identical to the scam that was run by the Defendants here.

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29. “You’ve seen them on the internet: ads or links leading to pictures of

celebrities and products that sound intriguing. The ads claim these ‘miracle’ products will

help you lose weight easily, combat wrinkles or whiten teeth. Often, fraudulent

operations involved with these types of ads employ the latest internet marketing

techniques and professional looking websites. You may be enticed to try these products

through a ‘risk-free’ trial. You might think they seem like a good deal. You only have to

pay $1.95 for shipping and handling. The claims look plausible, and celebrities would not

endorse a product unless they believed it works. There may be a risk that the product

doesn’t work as claimed, but it costs next to nothing to find out. Just enter your name,

address and credit card number and act quickly; supplies are limited. Better Business

Bureau’s (BBB’s) in-depth investigative study found that many of these free trial offers

are not free. They do not just send free product samples to try. If you can locate and read

the fine print on the order page, or the terms and conditions buried by a link, you’ll

discover that you may have only 14 days to receive, evaluate and return the product to

avoid being charged $100 or more. In addition, the same hidden information may state

that by accepting the offer, you’ve also signed up for monthly shipments of the products.

Those also will be charged to your credit card and become subscription traps. Many

people find it difficult to contact the seller to stop recurring charges, halt shipments and

get a refund.” Ex. 1 at 1.

30. This is virtually a verbatim description of the illegal scam the Defendants

perpetrated here, as described further below. And as the Better Business Bureau

recognized in its study, the sellers of these products are not the only active participants in

these scams: “The fraud involves a variety of players, from those who obtain the products

to advertisers, shippers and credit card processors.” Ex. 1 at 1.

31. For example, the companies involved often hire “affiliates” to place

advertisements for them or to create fake celebrity ads, paying them commissions. Ex. 1

at 3. Those affiliates are often hired or paid through a separate “affiliate network.” Id.

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32. The Better Business Bureau describes the role of affiliates and affiliate

networks as follows: “Many fake free trial offers use affiliate networks to advertise their

products. Someone who wants to drive traffic to their website hires an affiliate network,

which in turn hires individual affiliates to place advertising. The affiliates often buy space

for ads or sponsored content on popular websites. Clicking on one of these ads will take

people to a website where products are sold, or to a ‘landing page’ that then refers users

to the main site for the product. Commissions are paid to the affiliate network, which in

turn pays the affiliates. Affiliates can either be paid per click or per order placed.

Commissions for these misleading ‘free trial’ offers can be $30 to $50 for every person

who signs up.” Ex. 1 at 6.

33. Another typical player in the scam operations is the “fulfillment

company”—the company that manufactures and ships the products to consumers. The

Better Business Bureau study makes clear that these fulfillment companies are active

participants: “The free trial offer operations also have to get the product shipped to

victims. Often, fraudulent free trial operations use fulfillment companies to ship the

products and, presumably, accept returns.” Ex. 1 at 9.

34. A final type of participant in these scams are third party companies which

assist in preventing the scammers from losing their merchant accounts with credit card

companies or otherwise being flagged for their fraud: “Using a crooked processor. Banks

that offer credit card processing hire Independent Sales Organizations (ISO’s) to solicit

and sign up merchants for them. The banks require that these agents comply with detailed

rules before opening accounts to determine if they are legitimate and to monitor their

activity for signs of fraud, such as reviewing chargeback rates and other suspicious

activity. But what if those providing processing services are in on the fraud? The FTC has

sued a number of these ISOs over the years, often alleging that these third parties were

aware of the fraud or actively assisted in helping a fraudulent company evade the rules of

the credit card system. For example, in one FTC case an ISO spread the credit card

charges over 26 merchant accounts to disguise the fraud activity.” Ex. 1 at 11.

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35. The fact that “affiliate marketing” is rife with illegal scam operations is well

known in the industry. At the Affiliate Summit West in 2019, the preeminent conference

for affiliate marketers, the keynote speaker, Neil Patel, repeatedly acknowledged in frank

language how widespread such scams are among Internet marketers and among attendees

of the conference:

The sad reality is, at least for a lot of affiliates, the way affiliate marketing

was a few years ago isn’t gonna exist anymore and it’s gonna get tougher

and tougher. You know, I remember years ago in San Diego I was meeting

some friends and they’re like, yeah, we’re selling some skin care product,

we got to zero to $100 million dollars a year in revenue in twelve months

with a brand new company. Those days are long gone. As you can guess

some of those guys probably got hit by the FTC as well.

36. Mr. Patel continued:

I’ve got a marketing blog. I see what a lot of affiliate marketers think ‘cause

a shit load of ‘em hit me up every single day, I think I’m number one on

Google for affiliate marketing. I could be wrong, maybe number two. Either

way I just get a ton of affiliate marketing traffic. So, let’s go over fact

number one: how affiliates currently make money. And hopefully you guys

don’t get offended, I’m just gonna be stating the facts. Churn and burn

model with Facebook accounts. You guys know what I’m talking about, you

used to pay people fifty bucks, it used to be crazy back in the day, people

were paying hundreds of dollars for Facebook accounts and then they would

churn and burn ‘em. You guys familiar with this? No? I love it, you have the

biggest smile and you’re like, no, and now you’re turning away, you’re like

don’t look at me, hopefully no camera’s on me. (LAUGHTER). That’s okay.

Everyone has to make a livin’. Hopefully you crushed it while you can. The

next model: fake news landing pages. “The Shocking Reason Why Joy

Behar Is Quitting The View.” Well it’s because she took this new

wrinkle cream. (LAUGHTER). She looked ten years younger and now this

is what she’s selling. And you know what? Joy’s story is so amazing, on

Neil Patel, The Future of Affiliate Marketing: It’s Not What You Think,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hUdbztKLY4 (last visited Jan. 3, 2019) (emphasis

added).

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that landing page is also a testimonial from her friend Oprah.

(LAUGHTER). On how this wrinkle cream also made Oprah look twenty

years younger. And you know what? Oprah also lost ten pounds while taking

this wrinkle cream. (LAUGHTER). She was so addicted to it she was taking

it at night, but luckily when her power went off she had one of those

flashlights, the survival ones. (LAUGHTER). Right? That’s how affiliate

marketers make money. And again, I’ve seen it, there’s nothing wrong

with it. Some of you guys do straight sells, so when they click from that

Oprah landing page, they go into a straight sell instead of forced continuity.

And that’s fine as well. And again this is forced continuity, you tell ‘em it’s

a free trial, but they don’t really see in the fine print that they’re gonna

get billed every single month. And then you target the older

demographics who have no idea why they’re continually getting

rebilled. And then some of you guys have what’s called a quote-unquote

hell room that just deals with the calls. And the refunds. Or the credit

card processors where you guys rotate up the chargebacks so then that

way, then you guys can keep processing the money.

37. Mr. Patel acknowledged that a widespread FTC crackdown was occurring:

The FTC has been cracking down on certain companies and industries,

hence you’re seeing a lot less forced continuity. You guys, many of you

have issues with credit card processing, so you’ll do things like, I forgot

what the saying is but they rotate up the MIGS or the MIDS, I don’t know

what the saying is but it’s more so they’re controlling where the chargebacks

are going.

38. Mr. Patel described the FTC efforts to target not just affiliate marketers but

companies such as Facebook:

But they get pressure. ‘Cause those old grandmas are like, hey! Facebook

screwed me over! They sold me this wrinkle cream! One, I still have my

wrinkles. Two, they keep advertising these false products. So they get

pressure. The government doesn’t just want to stop the companies, they go

to the source and say, stop them from advertising.

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39. The attitude of Mr. Patel and others in the affiliate marketing “industry” that

“there’s nothing wrong with” this behavior is deeply disturbing: there is in fact something

quite wrong with targeting the poor and the elderly with fake celebrity advertisements

and fake free trials for the purpose of defrauding their credit cards for as long as possible

until the victim finally notices. It is little more than outright theft conducted under the

barest fig leaf of a “business”—and it is precisely what the Defendants were doing here.

40. These free trial scams generally involve more than one individual or

companies conspiring together and generally playing the roles described above. Believing

that they can pretend that their affiliates are independent contractors, or that they can

pretend to see no evil and hear no evil and thus escape legal liability, the conspirators

work together as a group to profit from the fraud. But they are quite wrong to believe that

they are safe—every member of these conspiracies knows full well what they are doing,

and every member is jointly and severally liable for the conduct of the others.

Plaintiff Cindy Adam’s Experience

With Nuvega Lash

41. On or about August 24, 2017, Plaintiff Cindy Adam saw an advertisement

for a cosmetics product called “Nuvega Lash” as she was browsing her SnapChat

account. The advertisement claimed that Nuvega Lash was endorsed by Blac Chyna, a

celebrity known for her appearances on multiple reality television shows, including

Keeping Up With The Kardashians, as well as for various relationships with other

celebrities such as Rob Kardashian and the rapper Tyga.

Ms. Chyna is further known for

her brand of adhesive eyelashes called “Lashed by Blac Chyna,” launched in 2013.

The

advertisement Ms. Adam viewed featured a picture of Blac Chyna along with a claim that

a “free sample” could be obtained for a small fee.

42. The website viewed by Ms. Adam showed a number of five-star reviews of

the Nuvega Lash products. It offered a free sample, stating that customers would only pay

Blac Chyna, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blac_Chyna (last visited Jan. 1, 2020).

Id.

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for the shipping and handling. It did not disclose the recurring monthly payments which

the Defendants intended to charge her. Unlike the initial advertisement, the website did

not reference Blac Chyna. However, Ms. Adam believed that the website was legitimate

because of Blac Chyna’s purported endorsement in the advertisement, and she relied on

that purported endorsement in making her purchasing decision.

43. Ms. Chyna continues to sell her own brand of eyelash products.

But on

information and belief, she has never endorsed Nuvega Lash or the related products, there

is no connection between her and the Nuvega Lash products, and the purported

endorsement in the Nuvega Lash advertisement was a complete falsehood.

44. Ms. Adam recalls purchasing two “free samples” from the site, as well as

one product for roughly $15. She received three products: eyelash enhancer, eyebrow

enhancer, and a lip plumper.

45. On August 24, 2017, Ms. Adam’s credit card was charged $4.99 with a

charge described as: “08/23 Advancedlash8007848531 800-8748531 NJ.” On the same

day, it was also charged $4.95 with a charge described as: “08/22 Nuveganlashes 800-

771-6369 NJ.” And also on the same day, it was charged $14.99 with a charge described

as: “08/22 Nuveganbrows 800-577-7806 NJ.”

46. On September 6, 2017, Ms. Adam’s credit card was charged $94.97 with a

charge described as: “09/06 Advancedlash8007848531 800-8748531 NJ.” On September

8, 2017, this charge was reversed.

47. On September 8, 2017, Ms. Adam’s credit card was charged $92.94 with a

charge described as: “Recurring Card Purchase 09/07 Nuveganlashes 800-771-6369 NJ.”

Because the charge was unexpected, Ms. Adam had insufficient funds and was charged a

fee by her bank of $34.00 on the same day.

48. On September 11, 2017, after complaining to her bank, Ms. Adam received

a temporary reversal of $92.94 and another reversal of the $34.00 insufficient funds

Lashed Cosmetics, https://www.lashedcosmetics.com/ (last visited Jan. 2, 2020).

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charge. Ms. Adam was only able to reverse the $34.00 insufficient funds charge because

her bank permits her to remove one insufficient funds charge per year without cause. The

Defendants’ fraudulent billing damaged Ms. Adam because it forced her to exhaust that

privilege for a charge she never should incurred.

49. On October 30, 2017, Ms. Adam’s bank, Chase Bank, undid the reversal of

$92.94, reinstating the charge after an investigation. On information and belief, one or

more of the Defendants made false statements to Chase Bank to the effect that she had

agreed to the subscription and that it had been disclosed to her, and did so for the purpose

of defrauding the bank and Ms. Adam.

50. In total and after the partial reversals, Ms. Adam was billed $24.93 in initial

shipping fees and $92.94 for a subscription which she was never informed of and did not

consent to.

51. Ms. Adam was shipped three products. These included a lip plumper called

Evolips by Evo Beauty and Nuvega Lash, both made by a company in Germany called

Nutracosmetic GmbH.

52. When Ms. Adam noticed the unexpected charges on her bank account, she

called her bank to inquire as to what they were. Her bank told her they would give her a

temporary credit while investigating.

53. She contacted Nuvega Lash directly and spoke to an individual representing

the company. That individual told her that she had agreed at the time of purchase to pay

the full amount that she had been charged if she kept the “free samples.” Ms. Adam did

not recall agreeing to this, and never would have agreed to this. She told this to the

representative of Nuvega Lash, who responded that he would let her speak to his manager

but it would take a while. After several long waiting periods, the individual finally told

Ms. Adam that a manager was unavailable. Ms. Adam believed that the representative of

Nuvega Lash was intentionally stalling her to force her to hang up. The representative

refused to issue an immediate refund, and instead demanded that Ms. Adam ship the

products back before the company would consider issuing one. Ms. Adam

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understandably did not trust the company which had just fraudulently charged her credit

card without consent, and thus refused this offer.

54. Ms. Adam was right not to trust the Defendants. They never would have

refunded the money anyway—this was yet another stalling tactic the Defendants

frequently used in the hopes that their victims would give up and go away. As another

victim reported to the Better Business Bureau about their own experience: “Item was

returned and company received on March 21, 2018 (proof of receipt on file). As of today,

May 1, 2018, I have not received a refund to my credit card. Have contacted company 5

times since return to inquire on refund. On April 10, was told 7-14 days. On April 26,

was told escalated to corporate for refund. On May 1, told 30 BUSINESS days for all

refunds and to call back in 2 weeks to check status!”

55. Ms. Adam was injured by the Defendants’ misrepresentations and unfair and

unlawful business practices. She suffered a loss of time, inconvenience, and a loss of

money. She was deprived of her annual right to reverse an insufficient funds charge from

her bank without cause. She further paid more for the products than she would have had

she been aware that Defendants’ representations were false, and ended up with products

that were overpriced, inaccurately marketed, and did not have the characteristics,

qualities, or value promised by Defendants, and therefore suffered injury in fact.

The Nuvega Lash Scam

56. The “sales funnel” for Nuvega Lash—the series of websites which leads a

victim through to signing up for a fraudulent free trial—is typical of the free trial scams

that both the Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau have issued repeated

warnings to consumers about.

57. The victim initially encounters an advertisement for the product on a third-

party site. In the case of Ms. Adam, she viewed an advertisement on SnapChat claiming

that the celebrity Blac Chyna had endorsed the Nuvega Lash products. The

Green Pogo LLC BBB Page, https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/manalapan/profile/online-

retailer/green-pogo-llc-0221-90178228/complaints (last visited Jan. 4, 2020).

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advertisements tout Nuvega Lash, a cosmetics product which purportedly has achieved

amazing results in helping women grow longer, fuller eyelashes.

58. Many of these landing pages are hidden from search engines, are made

inaccessible to anyone who does not view an advertisement, or are deleted after a few

weeks or months to avoid detection. While the specific page or advertisement Mrs. Adam

viewed is unknown, an exemplary affiliate advertisement for Nuvega Lash remains live

on at least one website.

59. The Nuvega Lash affiliate page is titled “$4.95 All EyeLash Serum Gets

Largest Deal in Shark Tank History.”

The site is designed to mimic the format of a

legitimate news article, with a logo at the top for “Entertainment Today – Insider News.”

A banner running across the top of the screen claims that Nuvega Lash has been featured

in a variety of legitimate publications: The New York Times, Today, O Magazine,

StyleWatch, and Redbook. A pop-up banner at the bottom urges victims to “Click to Get

Your FREE Trial.”

60. The fake news article claims that the Shark Tank judging panel

“unanimously decided to each invest over a million dollars” in Nuvega Lash, which was

$4.95 All EyeLash Serum Gets Largest Deal in Shark Tank History,

http://healthyhair.healthfindings.website/lash.html (last visited Dec. 18, 2019).

Id.

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purportedly a company run by two sisters named Anna and Samantha Martin. In fact

there are no such sisters: the women pictured are Shelly Hyde and Kara Haught of

Raising Wild Swimwear, who appeared on Shark Tank in Season 8, but who have no

affiliation with Nuvega Lash.

61. The article claims that the Shark Tank judges were amazed at Nuvega Lash,

touting that it was “FDA Approved”—a complete falsity. It features a photo of six of the

“sharks,” Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Daymond

John, and Kevin O’Leary. The “sharks” are pictured toasting with champagne,

presumably to their new investment in Nuvega Lash. The website goes on to claim

endorsements from a number of other celebrities, not just the Shark Tank cast. For

example, Oprah Winfrey is quoted as calling Nuvega Lash “groundbreaking” and helping

women “grow lashes in a natural and healthy manner.”

Raising Wild: What Happened To Bathing Suit Sisters After Shark Tank,

2Paragraphs, https://2paragraphs.com/2017/10/raising-wild-bathing-suit-sisters-

schooled-by-corcoran-after-shark-tank-as-founders-learn-to-prioritize-launch-

sunglasses/.

$4.95 All EyeLash Serum Gets Largest Deal in Shark Tank History,

http://healthyhair.healthfindings.website/lash.html (last visited Dec. 18, 2019).

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62. Other celebrities are pictured as endorsers as well. Jessica Alba is quoted as

having used Nuvega Lash herself to “amazing” effect, calling Nuvega Lash her “eyelash

secret.” Sandra Bullock is quoted as having obtained “stunning results” with Nuvega

Lash. And Jennifer Aniston is quoted as using Nuvega Lash on the sets of her movies.

63. The landing page could not be clearer in representing to the victims that

what they are signing up for is free, that Nuvega Lash is “giving away samples,” and that

“[t]he only cost you will incur is the discounted rate of $4.95:”

64. The affiliate landing page further repeatedly claims that there is a limited

supply of Nuvega Lash remaining, and urges victims to act quickly before it runs out.

Victims are told that the Free Sample Promotion will end on a specific date—but that

date itself is a misrepresentation. There is in fact no end date. The website code simply

automatically inserts the current date as the purported end of the free trial.

Id.

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65. Victims are again presented with a picture of Nuvega Lash and told that they

will be signing up for a “Free Sample” and that they will “pay only $4.95 for shipping!”

66. And finally, victims are presented with a serious of fake reviews at the

bottom of the page purporting to come from real Facebook customers of Nuvega Lash.

67. On information and belief, victims of Nuvega Lash who purchased from the

Nuvega Lash website were all subjected to similar or identical representations, and were

funneled from affiliate landing pages such as this one to a second landing page hidden on

a Nuvega Lash website.

68. The example affiliate landing page is old, and it is unclear which URL it

linked to based on the source code. But on information and belief, that URL was

http://trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/, a “landing page” on a website run by Defendants

Chumenko, Barone, and their group of shell companies. The existence of this landing

page is not immediately apparent to anyone other than the victims. Anyone visiting the

site by typing in the main domain name, trynuvegalashnow.com, would be unable to find

it and would never even know it existed. But websites for affiliate networks attempting to

entice affiliates to advertise for Nuvega Lash make clear that these affiliates were

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directing their victims to this specific landing page, and not to the main page of the

Defendants’ website.

69. A partial image of the landing page taken from a desktop computer appears

below:

70. At the bottom of this landing page when visited on a PC desktop—but only

on a desktop—there is a lengthy disclaimer in tiny print.

OfferVault Nuvega Lash Offer Page, https://www.offervault.com/affiliate-

offers/details/offerId/14580394/nuvega-lash-now-trial-us-survey-allowed/ (last

visited Dec. 14, 2019).

http://trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/ (last visited Dec. 14, 2019).

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71. If a user visits on mobile or a tablet (the source of the great majority of

Internet traffic), the website is programmed so that this disclaimer is not visible at all.

Instead, as show in the screenshot of the website taken from an iPhone below, nothing

appears below the “Rush My Trial” button and the victim cannot access or see the

desktop disclaimer:

72. The disclaimer visible only to desktop users states in full:

Please read all packaging and labels carefully. Always consult your

physician or healthcare provider before taking any supplement. If you have

or suspect that you have a medical problem, please consult your physician or

health care provider. The contents of this website are for informational

purposes only. Not for use by children under the age of 18. These statements

have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Use

only as directed. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or

prevent any disease or as a prescription for medication. Testimonial images

are actor portrayals to protect the privacy of our customers providing

testimonials. *If a hair follicle actually has died, it will not regrow hair. No

products can make a hair follicle come back to life. The follicle however can

still be alive but not growing hairs. We recommend using NUVEGALash

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over an 8 week period. Everyone is different while we hope our product

works for everyone we cannot guarantee it will. You have no obligation to

buy anything in the future as long as you call to cancel. In most cases

shipping takes 4 days to receive your product. After placing your initial

order, you will have 14 days to try the product & determine the benefits. 14

days after you place your order, your credit card will be automatically

charged the full retail price of $94.97. You must call during the 14-day try it

before you buy it period to not be billed the full retail amount. If you choose

to cancel within your 14 day trial period, you will be provided an RMA

number and you will need to return the items back to us. Please note that to

ensure you receive a refund or to ensure a cancel order please provide us

with a tracking number for the item you are returning. You may cancel at

any time by calling Customer Service at 1-800-918-9094. Customer Care

representatives are available 24 Hours Monday through Friday / 8am to 8pm

Saturday & Sunday.

73. Buried within the middle of this wall of tiny text is the disclosure that

customers must cancel within 14 days of their order or they will be billed $94.97 (and

that in fact, they only have 10 days because shipping will take 4 days). Nowhere does this

desktop-only disclaimer state that the consumer is signing up for a monthly subscription.

74. Once a victim enters their personal information, they are taken to a check-

out page. An image of this check-out page for the desktop version of the

trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/ landing page appears below.

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75. Notably, there is no requirement that users click a box or take any other

action to agree to any terms of service. Instead, the link to the terms of service is located

at the bottom of the screen next to several other links, in small text, and it requires users

to scroll down to locate it. On the phone or tablet, the design for this page similarly

requires no assent to the terms of service in any way, and again requires scrolling to a

small link at the bottom to even view the terms.

76. Users signing up for a trial of Nuvega Lash through this landing page are

subjected to a number of false or misleading representations. Most gallingly, victims are

never told that they will be signed up for a monthly subscription for the product costing

them $94.97 a month, plus $4.99 shipping and handling. In fact, they are told exactly the

opposite: that they will “[j]ust pay a small shipping fee.” And on the check-out page,

victims are shown a graphic stating unambiguously that the price they will pay is $0.00,

with $4.99 for Shipping & Handling.

77. A few weeks later, victims who were told that they would pay $0.00 for the

Nuvega Lash product are understandably shocked to see their credit card billed for nearly

$100 they did not agree to. And if they do not immediately call to cancel, they find

themselves being billed endlessly, each and every month. This is nothing more than

credit card fraud—lying to customers about what they will pay, taking their credit card

information, and billing them for something they never agreed to. But this is just the

beginning of the Defendants’ misrepresentations.

78. Victims are also repeatedly told that the supply of Nuvega Lash is limited.

On the first page, they are told: “Due to high demand, supplies are limited. Get your

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order today!” When a victim proceeds to the shopping cart, they are presented with a

graphic with a red bar supposedly describing the Current Availability as “LOW STOCK”

and urging them to “Act Now!” and to “Act now so you don’t miss out on this offer!”

79. A prominent arrow below this claims there are “LIMITED QUANTITIES

AVAILABLE.”

80. In fact, the graphic purporting to be a representation of “current availability”

is simply a static image that does not reflect the current supply of Nuvega Lash at all.

And these representations have been constant for years on end—when there is no

shortage of Nuvega Lash, and on information and belief, there never has been.

81. The landing page claims that using Nuvega Lash will permanently lengthen

and strengthen a user’s eyelashes: “NUVEGALash is an innovative, nature packed

serum, made from a combination of natural herbs and oils to give your eyelashes a new

rejuvenated look. Soften lashes in the evening with our NUVEGALash and wake up in

the morning to feel the effects. The good news? The change is not temporary!

NUVEGALash moisturises the eye follicles, helping promote longer and stronger

lashes.”

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82. If a user types in the URL trynuvegalashnow.com, they see an entirely

different website—but one that is little better. A partial image of this website appears

below:

83. On information and belief, victims of this scam were directed to the /v2/

landing page, rather than the main page. But any victim who purchased from the main

page would have been subjected to similar false representations to induce them to

purchase.

84. For example, at the top of the page, users are told that there is a limited

supply of Nuvega Lash, and that “[d]ue to high demand from recent media coverage we

can no longer guarantee supply.” But this is false—there does not appear to have ever

been any media coverage of Nuvega Lash. Instead, this false representation is designed to

dovetail with the fake celebrity advertisements/articles which a victim would view before

arriving at the website.

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85. Visitors to the main page are also told that Nuvega Lash will give them

“[e]yelashes from 30 to 50% longer, thicker, and darker in 6 – 8 weeks.” The main page

also claims that Nuvega Lash alters the functionality of the human eyelash as well as its

hair cells: “NUVEGALash not only extends the growth cycle of lashes, but also

nourishes and stimulates the hair cells.”

86. As of January 2020, the shopping cart on the main page is broken. But on

information and belief, the following checkout page is at least one prior version of the

desktop shopping cart for the main page of trynuvegalashnow.com:

Checkout Page, https://trynuvegalashnow.com/discount.php (last visited Jan. 9,

2020).

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87. This checkout page contains a lengthy “disclosure” paragraph in tiny text

with the font color set to a light grey that is almost unreadable against the white

background:

88. And again, the “disclosure” is coupled with express claims that the victim

will pay “$0.00” for Nuvega Lash and will only pay a $4.99 shipping fee:

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89. On mobile, the shopping cart still appears to be active, and users visiting the

main page of trynuvegalashnow.com are shown a small text disclosure of the subscription

program paired next to a larger, bold-text claim that the user will pay “$0.00” for Nuvega

Lash and $4.99 for Shipping:

90. Because the desktop shopping cart is currently broken, is unclear whether

the differences in the mobile and desktop disclosures of the main page of

trynuvegalashnow.com represent the page as it always was, or whether there have been

changes over time which these differences reflect. On information and belief, for at least

some periods of time, the main page of trynuvegalashnow.com was being used to

fraudulently convince bank employees that victims had purchased from that page, as

opposed to the landing page to which affiliates and advertisers actually directed their

traffic, trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/.

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91. Just as an old-time speakeasy would maintain a false front of a legitimate

business operation to distract law enforcement from their criminal activities, the

Defendants here also operate multiple other websites whose sole purpose appears to be to

trick anyone conducting an investigation into the validity of these purchases (such as a

bank or credit card company deciding whether to grant a chargeback to a consumer who

complains).

92. These “false front” websites are designed to appear legitimate. Unlike the

website consumers actually see when they sign up for the free trial,

trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/, these sites contain a prominent terms of service, requiring

that a box be checked to purchase the product. And unlike the website shown to

consumers, the “false fronts” explicitly disclose that a consumer using those websites

would be signing up for an ongoing subscription. In all respects, they are designed to

look like a legitimate company and not a scam.

93. The maintenance of these false front websites is itself an act of deception,

intended not just to hide from law enforcement but to prevent consumers from exercising

their lawful right to a chargeback by their bank or credit card company for charges they

never agreed to. Presented only with the false front, banks and credit card companies

cannot know that there is fraud being conducted behind it.

94. The Federal Trade Commission has recognized this tactic as a common one

used by this kind of scammer: “The defendants sometimes hosted multiple versions of the

same promotion. If consumers navigated from an embedded link on another site – the

much more likely way people would learn about a product – they were taken to pages

where products were offered for sale with what the FTC says were undisclosed automatic

shipment programs. But a funny thing happened if you just typed in the URL – for

example, rippedmusclex.com. That took you to an entirely different site that included

more visible disclosures of the trial offer. Why would a company create those different

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versions? The complaint suggests that it could have been done in an attempt to have a

‘clean’ version for banks, payment processors, and law enforcers.”

95. This is exactly what the Defendants have done here. Defendants Barone and

Chumenko operate a host of shell companies, all of which run websites promoting

Nuvega Lash or its related products such as Nuvega Brow. Each presents itself to visitors

as if it is the official website of the Nuvega Lash products, and each lists a different

company as the one that is selling Nuvega Lash. On its surface this would appear to make

no sense: there is no business reason to sell the same products from so many different

shell companies, with so many different near-identical websites. But that is not the

purpose. The purpose of these websites is to make it more difficult for banks to identify

the Nuvega Lash operation as a fraud by separating out and controlling which merchant

accounts and which shell companies the chargebacks are attributed to, and thus

preventing or delaying any one merchant account from being identified as conducting a

fraud.

96. One group of these “false front” websites consists of

www.nuveganlashes.com; www.lashesbynuvega.com, www.nuvegavegan.com;

www.nuveganbrows.com; and www.shopnuvega.com. Each of these websites looks

almost identical with very minor variations, except that they list a different corporate

entity as the owner, listing different phone contact information, and different addresses as

the location of Nuvega Lash (or in one instance Nuvega Brow). The “above the fold”

section of these sites (the portion immediately viewed by the user before scrolling)

appears as follows, taken from www.lashesbynuvega.com:

Leslie Fair, Fauxmats, false claims, phony celebrity endorsements, and

unauthorized charges, Federal Trade Commission Business Blog (2017),

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/business-blog/2017/11/fauxmats-false-claims-

phony-celebrity-endorsements (last visited Sept. 6, 2019).

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97. Unlike the actual site which victims view, trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/, these

“false front” websites make a disclosure of the trial terms above the order button and

require the user to click to agree to the terms of service.

98. The website www.nuveganlashes.com states at the bottom of the website

that it is operated by Natural Beauty Line LLC at 74 Thompson Grove Road, Manalapan,

NJ 07726 (Defendant Chumenko’s home address).

99. The website www.lashesbynuvega.com states at the bottom of the website

that it is operated by Green Pogo LLC at 9 Crest Fruit Ct, Manalapan NJ 07726

(Defendant Barone’s home address).

100. The website www.nuvegavegan.com states at the bottom of the website that

it is operated by Improved Nutraceuticals LLC at 9 Crest Fruit Ct, Manalapan NJ 07726

(Defendant Barone’s home address).

101. The website www.nuveganbrows.com states at the bottom of the website

that it is operated by Natural Beauty Line LLC at 74 Thompson Grove Road, Manalapan,

NJ 07726 (Defendant Chumenko’s home address).

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102. The website www.shopnuvega.com states at the bottom of the website that it

is operated by Natural Beauty Line LLC at 74 Thompson Grove Road, Manalapan, NJ

07726 (Defendant Chumenko’s home address).

103. Three other websites use an identical layout to the sites above, but list

addresses that on information and belief are of friends or business associates of

Defendants Barone or Chumenko.

104. One of these three other websites, www.browbynuvega.com, states at the

bottom of the website that it is operated by Nu Beauty Care LLC at 270 Arthur ave (sic),

Englewood Cliffs NJ 07632. Nu Beauty Care LLC is the New Jersey branch office of an

unknown corporate entity.

105. Another site, www.bestveganlash.com, states at the bottom of the website

that it is operated by Tykhe Enterprise LLC at 21142 NE 31ST Pl, Aventura, FL 33180.

According to WhoIs data scraped from the ICANN registry, this website was registered

historically to someone from the state of New Jersey.

106. Another site, www.bestveganbrow.com, states at the bottom of the website

that it is operated by Tykhe Enterprise LLC at 21142 NE 31ST Pl, Aventura, FL 33180.

According to WhoIs data scraped from the ICANN registry, this website was registered

historically to someone from the state of New Jersey.

107. Tykhe Enterprise LLC is the name of a Delaware corporation with no

current registered agent. A Florida corporation is named Tykhe Enterprises LLC,

(emphasis added), but it is unclear from publicly available documents how or whether

these entities are related to the Defendants.

108. A third “false front” website design utilized by the Defendants appears on

www.nuvegalashforvegans.com, which applies a slightly different layout from the

aforementioned “false front” websites, but again is designed to appear as if it is a

Whoxy Search, https://www.whoxy.com/bestveganlash.com (last visited Jan. 7,

2020).

Whoxy Search, https://www.whoxy.com/bestveganbrow.com (last visited Jan. 7,

2020).

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legitimate website which discloses its trial terms to consumers. This website states at the

bottom of the website that it is operated by Green Pogo LLC at 9 Crest Fruit Ct,

Manalapan NJ 07726 (Defendant Barone’s home address). A partial image of its front

page appears below:

109. If a visitor to www.nuvegalashforvegans.com clicks on the “Get My Free

Trial!” button, they are taken to a checkout page hosted on nuveganbrows.com which

makes a prominent disclosure of the terms at the top of the page, and requires the user to

click a prominent box at the bottom to agree to the terms of service. To an unsuspecting

bank employee reviewing this page, it would appear that Nuvega Lash victims had in fact

consented to be charged—if only this were the website the victims had actually visited:

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110. On information and belief, the Defendants present these “false front”

websites to customer’s banks whenever a chargeback is being investigated, fraudulently

representing to the bank that it was the website the customer used to sign up for Nuvega

Lash. As the BBB report stated: “in one FTC case an ISO spread the credit card charges

over 26 merchant accounts to disguise the fraud activity.” Ex. 1 at 11. And here, the

Defendants have spread their charges over multiple shell corporations (and presumably

multiple merchant accounts) to avoid accumulating too many chargebacks on any one

account and being flagged for the fraud they are conducting.

111. One angry victim of the Nuvega Lash scam recognized this pattern in their

bank statement and complained of it online, believing the tactic was designed to confuse

consumers:

Ordered their $14.99 product after seeing their ad on the internet. They

started charging $99 from next month for a product I never authorized them

to sent me on monthly basis.

Their customer service is very shady, they initially kept telling me to take a

discount and keep the product but in the end said that by their policy they

can only return 25% and I have agreed to but their products.

Report Scam, https://reportscam.com/trynuvegalashnowcom (last visited Jan. 5,

2020) (emphasis added).

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The confirmation email of $14.99 order I made has no mention of $99

monthly charge. They keep changing the merchant name while making

transaction so that you don't recognize them (VBEAUTY,

ADVANCEDLASH, GRNPOGO)

Called my bank to get the transactions disputed and further transactions

blocked. Stay away from this CON company.

112. Ms. Adam experienced the same pattern: she was billed from three separate

merchant accounts for her shipping charges, and her subscription was billed from two

different merchant accounts. But this is not a ploy to confuse consumers, but to defraud

their banks. Instead what the Defendants did here was just what Neil Patel described in

his keynote speech to a roomful of such scammers: “Or the credit card processors where

you guys rotate up the chargebacks so then that way, then you guys can keep processing

the money.... You guys, many of you have issues with credit card processing, so you’ll do

things like, I forgot what the saying is but they rotate up the MIGS or the MIDS, I don’t

know what the saying is but it’s more so they’re controlling where the chargebacks are

going.”

113. Other victims explained in detail their experiences in online reviews or fraud

reports, which were similar or identical to that of Ms. Adam.

114. For example, the Amazon page for Nuvega Lash, sold there by Green Pogo

LLC, is flooded with reviews from victims of the scam who say that they were billed

without their consent—and that Nuvega Lash made it almost impossible for them to

cancel the subscriptions they never agreed to in the first place. Many of these victim

report that they purchased the product directly from the Nuvega Lash website.

115. A victim posted on Amazon on January 5, 2019: “I signed up for their

trial...nothing on the site said anything about additional charges. They’ve now charged

Neil Patel, The Future of Affiliate Marketing: It’s Not What You Think,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hUdbztKLY4 (last visited Jan. 3, 2019) (emphasis

added).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 36 of 116

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me two months in a row and no product. HOW DO YOU GET IN CONTACT WITH

THEM? Thanks.”

116. A victim posted on October 20, 2018: “Yes, I bought the ‘free trial’. Never

received the product, was then charged $94, with NO refunds. A complete scam, AND

the money back guarantee is a lie.”

117. Another victim posted on October 17, 2017 a review titled “Serum Isn't

Worth Their Dirty Tactics.” She stated:

I purchased the Nuvega lash and brow serum through an ad I saw (not

Amazon) and it said nothing about the fact that I was signing up for a 14-day

trial and that after the 14 days I would be charged $94 for one tube and $92

for the second tube. Once I saw the charges on my credit card I called to

have them reversed. They said I had agreed to the terms of the trial, but no

where when I ordered the product did it say anything about the trial or the

subsequent charges. The person on the phone was rather incredulous and

somewhat rude. They have a 30-day money back guarantee, but you are of

course out the shipping to return it. They said the two tubes were a two

month supply for lashes and brows, but the vials are so small I seriously

doubt it would last that long.”

118. Multiple other victims of the Nuvega Lash scam responded to this review

saying the same thing had happened to them. One said: “I had a similar experience,

although I ordered directly from them -- no where did it say anything about a

subscription, nor did the live person I spoke with say anything. Had a very difficult time

stopping charges; it took a while, they would not even do anything before some time had

passed, and of course the expected me to return the product, at my own expense...and that

Nuvega Lash Amazon Page,

https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/Tx10HCB3TU4N2PB/ref=ask_dp_dpmw_al_hza (last

visited Dec. 16, 2019).

Nuvega Lash Amazon Page,

https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/Tx2SBA3B8LW7J1K/ref=ask_dp_dpmw_al_hza (last

visited Dec. 16, 2019).

Nuvega Lash Amazon Page, https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-

reviews/RF36BYAN9POZG/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B06XNKS7L6 (last

visited Dec. 16, 2019).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 37 of 116

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I had used some of it was apparently a huge problem. The people on the phone -- I spoke

with several, over several calls -- were uniformly rude and *extremely* evasive. The

product seemed to work but never, ever will I do any business with the company again.

Absolutely NOT TRUSTWORTHY.”

119. Another victim replied to this review saying “They did the same thing to me.

Luckily my credit card company declined the charge, TWICE. Do not order this product.

I am putting a report on the BBB also.”

120. Another replied: “thank God your bank notified you. I also signed up for a

free trial and agreed to pay shipping and next thing i know they took $200.00 from me. i

am going to call amazon and ask them to not let them even be on there. I am so angry at

thieves. People don't need to rob your houses any more its too easy to scam you on line.

Lesson learned do not go for free trials anymore on line and don't give out your card info

for free trials. It pisses me off because i am usually so careful. Also the customer service

numbers to talk to them are bogus, when you dial doesn't even ring, call immediately

drops. SCAM SCAM SCAM CAN YOU SAY BIG SCAM.”

121. Still another victim replied: “I have been duped by this company no replies

to emails or messages. Does not answer phone any suggestions for help.”

122. Another victim reported that she had to stop payment through her bank: “I

fell for the same scam , said get this product free all you have to do is pay shipping , then

a few weeks later my bank called saying there trying to take 95 out of my account I told

them to stop payment , now I get a email saying they will knock off 50 percent if I still

want product .. there words for sellers l8kw this ... I also fell for trap there's nothing there

bout trying product for 14 days it says free I will not fall for this kind of top again and No

never buy from them there very dishonest.”

Id.

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 38 of 116

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123. One victim reported in an Amazon review that the company was claiming

that Dr. Oz had endorsed Nuvega Lash: “This is a scam to get your credit information. In

less than 8 days after ordering a free sample you will be charged $94.97 and $89.97. Not

enough time is given for the product to arrive and see any results. Avoid this scam at all

costs. It is unlikely that Dr. Oz is aware of this product being advertised using his name,

as stated in the ad. This is not a free trial. A free trial would send you a trial size sample

and give you enough time to see results from a product. This product is extremely

overpriced for what it is. DO NOT ORDER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE unless

you like your credit card being hit at any time unexpectedly.”

124. Another victim said: “This is a scam. There is no free trial and you are

signing up fir a monthly membership which you cannot get out of.”

125. Another victim said:

I made the mistake of sampling this product via an ad on Instagram (stupid,

stupid move) for the cost of shipping & handling. Later, my credit card was

charged upwards of $150 for a subscription. There is apparently fine print

(which is visible now from a laptop but was NOT shown on the mobile

phone view.) As far as I can tell, the product works and well, but I cannot

imagine supporting a company with such malicious tactics. I've reported the

company to Citibank and am still waiting to see whether the charges will be

dropped. Some research after the fact shows that I am one of many to fall for

their trap. There are other similar products that work whose companies seem

far more honest. Skip this stuff.

126. Another victim said: “Happened to me to. I will always check now on

Amazon for these reviews. What a sham...I thought I bought it for $5. Now I am paying

Nuvega Lash Amazon Page, https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-

reviews/R10N9HKJ2ODBN0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B06XNKS7L6 (last

visited Dec. 16, 2019).

Nuvega Lash Amazon Page, https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-

reviews/R3OD8G9X1F6G6U/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B06XNKS7L6 (last

visited Dec. 16, 2019).

Nuvega Lash Amazon Page, https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-

reviews/R2UNWZN2N15T1S/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B06XNKS7L6 (last

visited Dec. 16, 2019).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 39 of 116

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$90 for it, paying for return shipping for another product, and totally scammed by this

company. Fraud ALERT!”

127. On ReportScam.com, a victim posted a report titled “I have been scammed

by nuvega lash” on May 2, 2017:

I found this website online, and on their site it only says rush my free trial, it

doesn't say anything about having 14 days to cancel your membership or you

will be charged 119$. Now when they charged my card on the last day I

called and asked why was I being charged and the agent I talked to was very

rude to me and told me he could only refund me back 59$ I asked to speak to

a supervisor or manager and he went off and would not let me speak to

anyone. Left me feeling horrible and robbed! I still haven't received a

refund, I may have to just go dispute this at my bank.

128. Another victim posted on ReportScam.com about signing up on

trynuvegalashnow.com in a post titled “Fraud Company - Will add you without consent

to their $99 monthly scam:”

Ordered their $14.99 product after seeing their ad on the internet. They

started charging $99 from next month for a product I never authorized them

to sent me on monthly basis. Their customer service is very shady, they

initially kept telling me to take a discount and keep the product but in the

end said that by their policy they can only return 25% and I have agreed to

but their products.

129. A victim report on ReportScam.Com titled “Scammed by nuvegalashes”

states that the Defendants simply quit answering their phone number: “I saw the

advertisement for a free sample $5 shipping I tried it. It never said anything about

canceling. When I check my account they charged me $95! When I called I was told I

Nuvega Lash Amazon Page, https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-

reviews/R2UNWZN2N15T1S/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B06XNKS7L6 (last

Visited Dec. 16, 2019).

Report Scam, https://reportscam.com/trynuvegalashnowcom (last visited Jan. 5,

2020).

Id.

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 40 of 116

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would be refunded. It’s been 2 weeks and still no refund and the company will no longer

answer the phone!”

130. Another victim reported their experience with Nuvega Lash on

ReportScam.Com:

‘Free trial offer...just pay for shipping!!’

I bought it, hook, line and sinker and ordered the "free trial". I get to the

payment page and it shows me a brow enhancer and asks me to continue. I

don't need brow enhancers as mine are already caterpillars!! I hit continue,

‘BAM’ another charge for S+H. There is no way to back up, they already

have my credit card info.

Pissed off by now but I receive my two tubes, lash and brow. They are

exactly the same...matter of fact, if you pull the ‘brow enhancer’ sticker off

it says lash enhancer!!

I go online to see if anyone has left reviews on instructions for the product

and find out I will be charged $119.99 + $9.99 S+H after a 14 day trial. I had

to dig around for a phone number to contact them because it is not easily

available. Coincidentally, the number that was on one of the NuVega sites is

an attorney's office. Maybe we should all hire them because I also found that

these ‘Free Trial Scams’ are now being prosecuted and companies are

paying out in the millions.

I digress...once finding the number I contacted customer service and they

gave me a return number to return my trial products.

No big deal! I am out $10.00 shipping and handling and will go nuts on

someone if I am in fact charged.

LESSON LEARNED!!

Id.

Report Scam, https://reportscam.com/nuvegalashescom (last visited Jan. 5, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 41 of 116

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131. Another victim warned on ReportScam.Com that despite promising to do so,

the Defendants refused to refund money to customers after shipping the product back—

and that it was so common their local USPS office knew about the issue already: “The

company failed to honor the written agreement for a refund for returned product

(ADVANCEDLash) and failed to answer the USPS inquiry for receipt of returned item.

Per local USPS, the company has a history of this practice.”

132. On a website called Scamion, Nuvega Lash similarly has an active page with

multiple user reports. One describes taking screenshots of the advertisement and there

being no disclosure whatsoever of the subscription:

Nuvega Lash advertises a ‘free trial’ size bottle/tube, in which you only need

to pay $4.99 S&H. So I think I’m just purchasing a ‘free’ sample of the

serum, and naively enter my name, address, & credit card number. I go away

for 2 months, & when I return, I find out they’ve charged my account $99.96

each month!

In shock, I try to call the number listed for them on my bank statement, & I

was on hold for 10 min., then it hung up on me! I try to go to the web

address listed for them on my shipping receipt, only to find out that the

website no longer exists! So I’m now out $200 for what was apparently a

‘subscription’ of Nuvega lash that I in NO way knowingly authorized!

I have a screenshot of their Ad, and it says NOTHING on that Ad about a

14-day trial, in which after 14 days, I would be automatically charged

$99.96 every month. How can this even be legal?

133. Another victim posted on Scamion and described the financial hardship she

suffered from the Defendants’ fraud: “Said it was a free trial. Made me pay $4.99 for

shipping and kept charging my card $96 over and over. I called and told them I didn't

want it and wasn't going to pay that much for eyelash serum. They told me to send the

Report Scam, https://reportscam.com/nuvega (last visited Jan. 5, 2020).

Scamion, https://www.scamion.com/nuvega-lash-30 (last visited Jan. 5, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 42 of 116

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producr back, which I did, because I never opened it. Then they continued to bill me. I'm

a single mom and can't afford to keep having them take money out of my account!”

134. Another victim reported on the Scamion page for Nuvega Lash:

Bought product on Wish app got product. Then received some brow product

I did not order and then received eyelash product and brow product one

month from original product. I called company got the Ran# returned

product both lash and brow product that I had been charged on my credit

card for 97.89 and 99.96 I kept the initial lash and brow product returned the

second lash and brow for the 30 day guarantee.

Which states if returned in 30 Day (I have a tracking number ). We’ll refund

your money less shipping and processing. I still have not received my refund

Have contacted customer service 6 times No refund. Please help if you look

on line this company Check via address is known for this. Very frustrated

135. These are just a sample of the many complaints about Nuvega Lash across

various websites. It is not a coincidence that so many victims are reporting the exact same

thing: that they were told Nuvega Lash would be free, that they later discovered they had

been billed hundreds of dollars for a subscription they did not sign up for, and that when

they tried to cancel their nonexistent subscription, the company made it as difficult as

possible to do so. This was how the Defendants treated all of their victims—and the

Nuvega Products were just a thin excuse to commit rampant credit card fraud.

Misrepresentations Regarding Reviews and Endorsements

136. On information and belief, the Defendants marketed the Nuvega Products

exclusively through affiliate marketing networks, such that every customer who

purchases a product from them will be exposed to and view the fake celebrity

endorsements described herein. Ms. Adam specifically recalls viewing an advertisement

Id.

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 43 of 116

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stating that the products had been endorsed by Blac Chyna and relied on that in signing

up for the “free trial.”

137. These celebrity reviews are material to the Defendants’ customers and their

decision to purchase the products at issue. Because these individuals are well-known with

well-guarded reputations, portraying reviews as coming from them misleads customers

into believing that the Defendants are a credible, well-established company. Because

these celebrities are generally beautiful with desirable appearances, the fake quotes

suggesting that these celebrities obtained that appearance by using the Nuvega products

misleads customers as to the kinds of results they may expect from using the products.

Misrepresentations and Omissions Regarding Free Trials

138. Another way the Defendants deceive consumers on their websites is to

suggest that they are signing up for a “free trial,” when in fact they are not. The first page

a victim would view is a website such as healthyhair.healthfindings.website/lash.html,

which expressly states that consumers are signing up for a free trial. The second page a

victim would view is the sign-up page on trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/, which describes

the offer as a “trial,” lists the price for the product as $0.00 with the customer only paying

$4.99 for shipping and handling, and falsely represents that the customer will “just pay a

small shipping fee.”

139. On information and belief and based on the sales funnel structure, every

customer who purchased Nuvega Products would have been exposed to these

representations.

140. The Defendants made material omissions regarding the “free trial” on their

websites by omitting material information which they were under a duty to disclose

relating to those trials. The Defendants failed to disclose to consumers who viewed the

websites that the trial was not in fact free, and that they were signing up for a subscription

for the Nuvega Products. These terms were concealed by burying them inside a terms of

service on a separate page on the website.

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 44 of 116

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141. The Defendants under a duty to Plaintiff and the Class members because

they made partial representations—that the cost would be $0.00 and that all they would

pay for was shipping and handling—but also suppressed, concealed, or did not disclose

material facts that qualify those representations, namely that there would be an ongoing

subscription, that it would include more products than the one the victims signed up for,

and that it would be for nearly $100 per month in total.

142. The Defendants knew, or by the exercise of reasonable care should have

known, that their omissions were untrue and misleading, and deliberately made the

aforementioned omissions in order to deceive reasonable consumers like Plaintiff and

other Class Members. Those omissions could have been corrected by including the

omitted information in proximity to the trial offer on the trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/

landing page and in any other places where references to a free or trial offer occurred.

143. The Defendants’ omissions regarding the subscription payments were

material to consumers. A reasonable consumer would attach importance to the truth or

falsity of these omissions in deciding whether to purchase the products because if

consumers had known they were not signing up for a free trial or that the actual cost

would be more than $100 per month if they did not cancel virtually immediately, they

would not have agreed to the offer.

144. Ms. Adam was damaged by these misrepresentations and omissions

individually as described herein, and relied on them in that she would not have signed up

for the offer had she been informed of its terms.

Representations Regarding Limited Supply

145. The Defendants’ web pages include representations of limited supply, as

described herein. But on information and belief, those purported limitations and the

representations that there was “low stock,” “limited quantities available,” or that there

were limitations on how many people could sign up for the product were false.

146. These misrepresentations are designed to induce consumers to sign up for

trials and to create a false sense of urgency. As a result of these misrepresentations,

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 45 of 116

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consumers purchase products they would not have or pay more for them than they

otherwise would have, or they retain products for longer than they otherwise would have

and are damaged by finding that they have been subjected to a subscription they did not

agree to.

147. The Defendants’ misrepresentations regarding their limited supply are

material to consumers. A reasonable consumer would attach importance to the truth or

falsity of these misrepresentations in deciding whether to purchase the products because

if they knew that the products were not limited in supply and could be purchased at any

time, consumers would not feel the need to sign up for a “free trial” on impulse and under

time pressure that did not exist based on these representations. Plaintiff and the Class

members thus reasonably relied upon these representations in making their purchase

decisions.

Omissions Regarding the “False Front” Websites

148. The Defendants deceived consumers’ banks and credit card companies, by

maintaining “false front” websites at the various URLs described herein. These sites were

created intentionally to make it appear to outsiders that the victims of the scheme had

been informed of their subscriptions and had consented to them. The Defendants were

under a duty to disclose to Plaintiff and the Class Members that they maintained these

“false front” websites and to disclose that they routinely used those websites to deceive

banks or credit card companies to prevent consumers from exercising their right to a

chargeback.

149. Plaintiff and the class were damaged by these omissions. All members of the

class were damaged because had the banks and credit card companies not been

unlawfully deceived, the scheme would have been shut down and none of the Class

members would have been billed. The Defendants further owed duties to all of the Class

members to inform them that there were “false front” websites, and the failure to do so

injured every member of the Class.

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 46 of 116

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150. The Defendants made material omissions regarding the “false front”

websites by omitting material information which they were under a duty to disclose

relating to those sites. The Defendants failed to disclose to consumers who viewed the

trynuvegalashnow.com website or its landing page at /v2/ that there were multiple other

websites, that the Defendants planned to intentionally deceive the consumer’s banks or

credit card companies if they attempted a chargeback, and that they were not bound by

any of the terms or other disclosures on the trynuvegalashnow.com website.

151. The Defendants were under a duty to disclose this information to Plaintiff

and the Class Members because the Defendants had exclusive knowledge of material

facts not known to them, namely that there were numerous other websites which were

being used as a “false front.”

152. Plaintiff and the Class Members did not know this, and it was difficult to

discover because that information was not located on the website they signed up for the

trial from, because the trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/ website was designed to be

inaccessible from its main page, and because the “false front” websites were placed on

entirely separate URLs which were not linked to from the page on which the victims

signed up for the trial.

153. The Defendants were under a duty to disclose this information to Plaintiff

and the Class Members because the Defendants engaged in active concealment, and have

engaged in affirmative acts of hiding, concealing, or covering up this matter. The

Defendants made efforts to hide their websites from view as described above, to make the

landing page difficult to find, to delete various advertisements so customers could not

find them again, and by creating the “false front” websites to conceal from their victims

and others the actual landing page that the victims visited.

154. The Defendants were further under a duty to Plaintiff and the Class members

because they made partial representations to the banks and credit card companies—that

they had sold the Nuvega Products to their victims—but also suppressed, concealed, or

did not disclose material facts that qualify those representations, namely that none of the

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 47 of 116

CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

victims had actually signed up for the free trial on the websites which banks and credit

card companies were presented. The Defendants further made partial representations to

Plaintiff and the Class members—that they would receive a free sample—without

disclosing that if they attempted a chargeback, the Defendants intended to lie about the

terms of the agreement to their banks or credit card companies.

155. The Defendants knew, or by the exercise of reasonable care should have

known, that their omissions were untrue and misleading, and deliberately made the

aforementioned omissions in order to deceive reasonable consumers like Plaintiff and

other Class Members. Those omissions could have been corrected by including the

omitted information in proximity to the trial offer on the trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/

landing page, or in follow-up e-mails to their victims, or in proximity to their

representations to banks and credit card companies.

156. The Defendants’ omissions regarding the “false front” websites were

material to consumers. A reasonable consumer would attach importance to the truth or

falsity of these omissions in deciding whether to purchase the products because if

consumers had known that the Defendants were maintaining a fake website for the

purpose of defrauding their banks and credit card companies, they would not have signed

up for the “free trial.”

157. Ms. Adam was damaged by these omissions individually as described

herein, and relied on them in that she would not have signed up for the offer had she been

informed of this information.

The Barone / Chumenko Defendants

158. In most free trial scams, multiple nominally distinct individuals and entities

operate together to defraud their victims. The Nuvega Lash scam is no exception. The

actual products at issue here appear to be made by (and trademarked by) a German or

Swiss company called 8Alpha GmbH Corporation, and manufactured by a German

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 48 of 116

CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

company called Nutracosmetic GmbH.

On information and belief, Defendants Frank

Barone and Kirill Chumenko have the rights to sell or distribute the Nuvega Lash

products in the United States, and they do so through a series of shell companies.

159. Defendants Barone and Chumenko have long been business partners in

similar endeavors. On February 4, 2004, they both filed a patent together for a topical

compound that purportedly enhanced male erections.

Through a company named

Barmensen Labs LLC, they sold such products as a male erectile enhancer called

Maxoderm, a weight loss powder called Alvitum, and a migraine supplement called

Miprovil.

160. In roughly 2016, Defendants Barone and Chumenko began promoting the

Nuvega Products for sale through a series of shell companies.

161. These companies include, at a minimum, Improved Nutraceuticals, LLC;

Green Pogo LLC (New Jersey); Green Pogo LLC (Delaware); Fortera Nutra Solutions

LLC (previously Next Gen Health Solutions LLC); Natural Beauty Line LLC; Vegan

Beauty LLC; and Advanced Beauty LLC.

162. Collectively, these Defendants are referred to herein as the “Barone /

Chumenko Defendants” (Frank V. Barone; Kirill Chumenko; Improved Nutraceuticals,

LLC; Green Pogo LLC (New Jersey); Green Pogo LLC (Delaware); Fortera Nutra

Solutions LLC (previously Next Gen Health Solutions LLC); Natural Beauty Line LLC;

Vegan Beauty LLC; and Advanced Beauty LLC).

163. Plaintiff expects that additional John Doe shell companies will be identified

through discovery which Defendants Barone and Chumenko used to assist in the scam, in

particular by utilizing their merchant accounts to avoid fraud detection in the sale of the

Nuvega Products.

U.S. Patent. No. 7,214,390 B2 (filed Feb. 4, 2004) (available at

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/85/61/3c/10a733f512de10/US7214390.pdf).

Barmensen Labs Website Archive,

https://web.archive.org/web/20070726145752/http://www.barmensen.com/ (last visited

Jan. 28, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 49 of 116

CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

164. These shell companies do not follow corporate formalities and are operated

as if they were a single entity or unit. For example, Green Pogo LLC purported to operate

a website called greenpogo.com in 2016.

However, the trademark for the name of this

website was held by Barmensen Labs LLC.

The product sold on greenpogo.com by

Green Pogo LLC, Red Fortera, is trademarked by one of the other shell companies,

Fortera Nutra Solutions LLC.

Red Fortera is sold by yet another shell company,

Healthy Living Advancements LLC.

And as described further herein, the Defendants

routinely presented different shell companies as the seller of the Nuvega Products (and

used those shell companies to bill victims from their own merchant accounts to avoid

fraud detection by the victim’s banks).

165. Defendant Barone is directly involved in the management and operation of

these shell companies, and exercises control over their activities in selling the Nuvega

Products.

166. Defendant Barone’s home address, 9 Crest Fruit Court, Manalapan, NJ

07726, is listed as the contact information for AdvancedLash, a product sold by Green

Pogo LLC,

as well as Advanced Beauty LLC.

167. Defendant Barone’s home address is also listed on the website

lashesbynuvega.com as the contact information for Green Pogo LLC as the seller of

Nuvega Lash.

Greenpogo.com Website Archive,

https://web.archive.org/web/20161001155646/http://greenpogo.com/ (last visited Jan.

28, 2020).

Greenpogo.com Trademark Status,

http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=78895441&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSear

ch (last visited Jan. 28, 2020).

Red Fortera Trademark Status,

http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87061053&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSear

ch (last visited Jan. 28, 2020).

http://redforteraondemand.com/ (last visited Jan. 28, 2020).

http://www.advancedlashbeauty.com/terms.html (last visited Jan. 2, 2020).

https://lashesbynuvega.com/ (last visited Jan. 2, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 50 of 116

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168. Defendant Barone’s home address is also listed on the website

nuvegavegan.com as the contact information for Improved Nutraceuticals LLC as the

seller of Nuvega Lash.

169. Defendant Barone is a manager of Fortera Nutra Solutions LLC and Green

Pogo LLC (New Jersey).

170. Defendant Chumenko is also directly involved in the management and

operation of these shell companies, and exercises control over their activities in

advertising and selling the Nuvega Products.

171. On information and belief, Defendants Barone and Chumenko jointly

control and operate the shell companies to sell the Nuvega Products and other products.

172. Defendant Chumenko was sued in Miami-Dade County’s 11th Circuit Court

on April 20, 2018, along with Defendant Vegan Beauty LLC. The action was filed by an

affiliate network which had been advertising Nuvega Lash, The Affiliati Network, Inc.

This affiliate network alleged a breach of contract for a marketing contract which

Defendants Kirill Chumenko and Vegan Beauty LLC entered into on January 12, 2017 to

market the Nuvega Lash products.

The complaint attached a contract for affiliate

marketing services signed by Mr. Chumenko on behalf of Vegan Beauty LLC as its

Managing Member.

A number of invoices indicating that this affiliate network had been

advertising the Nuvega Lash products on behalf of Mr. Chumenko and Vegan Beauty

LLC were also attached.

According to those invoices, this affiliate network alone drove

2,265 victims to sign up for the Nuvega Lash “free trial” in the first few months of

2017—a number which likely amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from

those victims.

Complaint, Affiliati Network Inc. v. Kirill Chumenko et al, No. 2018-012896-CA-01

(Fla. 11th Circuit Court Apr. 20, 2018).

Id. at 3-4; id. at Ex. A.

Id. at Ex. A.

Id. at Ex. B.

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173. The websites shopnuvega.com, www.nuveganlashes.com, and

www.nuveganbrows.com state at the bottom of the website that they are operated by

Natural Beauty Line LLC at 74 Thompson Grove Road, Manalapan, NJ 07726

(Defendant Chumenko’s home address).

174. The Green Pogo Defendants—two identically named LLC’s, one in New

Jersey, the other in Delaware—are involved in the sale of the Nuvega Products, and are

controlled and operated by Defendants Barone and Chumenko.

175. The Amazon page for Nuvega Lash lists the seller as “Green Pogo, LLC.”

176. Green Pogo LLC is listed on the website lashesbynuvega.com as the seller of

Nuvega Lash.

177. The Green Pogo LLC Better Business Bureau page gives the company the

lowest possible “F” rating. And its page is littered with customer complaints dating back

to January 2017 through October 10, 2019, with victims describing exactly the same

experience as Ms. Adam had.

178. For example, a review from December 29, 2017 describes a victim’s

experience from start to finish:

I was on Facebook and this ad came on from this cosmetic company and I

agreed to a one time $4.95 shipping charge of in product called Nuvega

brow. Before I checked out I had to order another item that I didn’t want it

was the only way to check out on their site. As soon as I made the purchase I

tried calling a phone number that was listed on this Facebook ad. There was

a recording that said we appreciate your business please hold on and I heard

that at least 18-20 times and each time I was disconnected. I called back at

least 4 to 5 times and it happened exactly the same way and I could never

get in touch with the company. So I called my ******** credit card open a

dispute. The company sent information regarding my order and said I never

called them to cancel so they charged me after the initial delivery on October

Nuvega Lash Amazon Page, https://www.amazon.com/Nuvega-Natural-Eyelash-Eyebrow-

Growth/dp/B06XNKS7L6 (last visited Jan. 2, 2020).

https://lashesbynuvega.com/ (last visited Jan. 2, 2020).

Green Pogo LLC BBB Page, https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/manalapan/profile/online-

retailer/green-pogo-llc-0221-90178228/complaints (last visited Jan. 2, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 52 of 116

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26, I was supposed to have 18 days to call them, and finally I did receive all

the information that ******** was provided and I called them on November

9 to cancel. That was the same day they charged my credit card for $92.94. I

forgot to tell city bank that I called on November 9 to cancel so they sided

with this scam of the company. I’m not happy because I tried my very

hardest to contact the company first and when I couldn’t get through, that’s

when I called ********. I have tried three times to talk to representatives

from the company and they are saying they cannot give me a refund. The

whole situation and this company is one big scam and as a senior I don’t

have $92.94 but they won’t work with me.

179. Another victim of Green Pogo LLC wrote on January 3, 2017: “I signed up

and paid the shipping on a FREE trial of their product. If I keep the ‘FREE’ trial that they

sent, I will get billed for the FULL amount of the product. They are saying the trial

period to use their product is FREE. This is a scam. If you offer something for free.. that

means it's FREE, no cost. So I said I would return it because they want it back. I believe

they should send a shipping label if they want it back. Why should I have to pay to send

something back that was supposed to be FREE. This is a terrible company.”

180. Another Green Pogo LLC victim reported also experiencing the tactic of

pretending that there was no manager on duty to speak to:

Nuvega had an offer for “free trial” of Nuvega Lash which was supposed to

help my eyelashes grow-which it did not-not only did they include a product

I didn’t ask for, after 14 days or so they charged full price for the “free” trial.

It’s apparently in the contract. However I spoke with someone at nuvega

about the insane price of $94.00 for something I thought was free, she failed

to mention that I was on a plan that would send me a new bottle every month

& charge me $99.96 every month. I called again & was told I would only get

25% of a refund because I didn’t use this new bottle. I find that outrageous.

That amount of money is a lot for someone like me & the customer service

was terrible, there was no manager on staff for me to speak with so

apparently they are also working unsupervised, which is even worse.

Id.

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181. Another victim reported repeatedly attempting to cancel the subscription

with Green Pogo LLC, only to be charged four more times without even being sent the

Nuvega Products they were supposedly subscribed to:

I am so frustrated with the company GREEN POGO that has fraudulently

charged on three of my credit cards. We payed for and received a trial but

did not approve of further shipments or charges. They sent only 4 packages

but keep billing me exuberant charges as noted above without sending more

product. I called with a **** represented to cancel on 10/31/2016. They

answered the phone once but disconnected, and wouldn't answer again with

the **** representative on the line. **** told me to dispute the charges. I

was told by the **** representative not to change my credit card number and

that no further charges would be allowed to bill to my credit cards due to the

disputes, yet I received no more product and was charged 4 more times,

twice on each credit card. I called **** in Nov. again to make sure no

further charges were being made and I cancelled the card numbers when we

found more charges. Although, I was assured I wouldn't get charged again

with a dispute open. I again called and spoke to **** last wed, and they

promised to follow up and call me back. When I didn't receive a call back, I

called today again on both cards. Two disputes were recharged before I even

had a call back from ****. The **** representative and I called the

GRNPOGO company together. They couldn't or wouldn't find all my

accounts and check if they received the product back. I asked for a Rma

number if I could track the packages and they refused. I called GRNPOGO

to try and get a rma number to return the product and now they say since we

disputed (which **** advised me to do) they will not issue a rma number or

let me return the product. So frustrating, they change their response

everytime we call.

182. Green Pogo LLC was not the only shell company victims were billed by.

Defendant Fortera Nutra Solutions LLC, formerly Next Gen Health Solutions LLC, was

also used by Defendants Barone and Chumenko to bill victims of the Nuvega Lash scam

as part of their scheme to prevent banks from discovering the fraud.

Id.

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183. The Better Business Bureau page for Next Gen Health Solutions LLC, now

Defendant Fortera Nutra Solutions LLC, reveals a number of victims complaining that

the company billed them for subscriptions to the Nuvega Products. The company

received the lowest possible “F” rating.

184. For example, on October 24, 2018, a victim complained that Defendant

Fortera Nutra Solutions billed them hundreds of dollars for Nuvega Lash after falsely

telling them that the product would be free:

If I could give them zero stars I would. I paid $4.99 for my FREE Nuvega

Lash and received it along with a letter stating once my trial is complete I

would have to pay for the product! Do not believe anything this website tells

you. After calling to cancel my alleged membership which i did not agree to

they told me I had to pay to return their product and would not be receiving

a refund for the ‘FREE’ product that I did not use. They are liars, and do not

disclose all information on their website. Do not purchase from this website

unless you want to be charged a monthly supply of $324.00!!

185. On December 19, 2017, a victim reported that Defendant Fortera Nutra

Solutions LLC billed them $400 for a “lash treatment” without disclosing that there

would be an auto-shipment:

Ordered lash treatment item was received back in September for a trial price

of $14 and then I was billed $94 for another item the next month and $99 the

following month. There was NO clarity that there was an auto-ship that

would be for almost $100 every month that you HAVE TO CALL TO

CANCEL. I never recieved a written/paper copy of these terms and it

honestly needs to be STATED UP FRONT not hidden in the terms and

conditions! I contacted customer service and informed them. They would not

listen to my concerns and kept pushing discounts to keep me as a

customer...i'm sorry NO...i'm not paying your ridiculous prices for a product

that didn't even work. Now i'm out almost $400. NOT HAPPY.

Next Gen Health Solutions LLC BBB Page,

https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/morganville/profile/vitamins-and-supplements/next-gen-

health-solutions-llc-0221-90181958/customer-reviews (last visited Jan. 29, 2020).

Id.

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186. On January 31, 2018, a victim reported that Defendant Fortera Nutra

Solutions LLC billed them for Nuvega Lash without sending any product, then refused to

cancel a subscription despite multiple calls requesting to cancel:

I ordered a trial sample of Nuvega Lash on 10/12/17 and was charged $4.99.

It wa supposed to be a 30 day trial. They proceeded to charge my card and

additional $94.97 on 10/31/17 and did not send any product. I called a

million times to cancel and get a refund and was put on hold listening to

music. I called twice more on 2 seperate occasions and the same thing

happened. I admittedly forgot about it until I recieved another tube right

before the new year and then realized I was yet again charged another

$99.96 on 12/12/18. I immediately called and got through to a gentleman

with a thick accent who's name I could not understand. He said he could not

process a refund as it was past the 30 day trail period!!!!!! He did

supposedly cancel my account. We argued for a bit and he said the best he

could do was refund half of one shipment which was

$49.98(CONFIRMATION #*****). I proceeded to tell him this was false

advertising and ended up hanging up on him. I called a week later(second

week of January) to ask why I had not recieved any refund and was told that

it was processed and to wait a few more days. I just called today(1/31/18)

and spoke with Diego. I complained I had not recieved anything and he said

he would re-process the refund of $49.98(which is ridiculous as they stole

over $200 from me) (CONFIRMATION #**********)and I should expect

it in 7 to 10 business days. I did a little research and found out this company

keeps switching names, hence the reason why it is reported as OUT OF

BUSINESS on the BBB site. They have also gone by the names Improved

Nutraceutical, Nuvega Lash and V Beauty to name a few. How have they

been able to continue this pattern and no one has caught on? This whole

situation is extremely upsetting. SUCH A SCAM.

187. Multiple other victims reported to the BBB that they were scammed by

Defendant Fortera Nutra Solutions LLC for subscriptions to Nuvega Lash or to unnamed

eyelash products.

Id.

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188. The Barone/Chumenko Defendants’ failure to follow corporate formalities

and use of their various shell companies confused at least one recipient of a refund check

from Next Gen Health Solutions LLC (now Defendant Fortera Nutra Solutions LLC)

because the Barone/Chumenko Defendants also identified the check as coming from one

of the other shell companies, Defendant Improved Nutraceuticals LLC:

Received mail on 23 April 2018 from sender "Next Gen Health Solutions

LLC, 500 Campus Drive Suite 203, Morganville, NJ, 07751". Only contents

inside the envelope was a check addressed to my wife in the amount of

$99.96. The only identification on the check sender was ‘IMPROVED

NUTRACEUTICALS LLC’. My wife and I discussed that we had not done

any business with this company and became suspicious since there was no

explanation correspondence with this check. We did not cash the check.

Research on the ScamPulse.com website indicates that this company has a

rating of "F". One of the posted ratings indicates in detail that the individual

appears to have been taken advantage of by the company, charging their

checking account, not responding to phone calls to resolve the problem. It

appears that this company still is trolling for targets. Next Gen Health

Solutions LLC, also is listed as contact info for Red Fotera: redfotera.com

800-908-6213.

189. Defendant Advanced Beauty LLC is the company behind a product called

Advanced Lash, also sold by Defendants Barone and Chumenko. On information and

belief, a merchant account attributable to this shell company was used to bill Plaintiff

Adam and other members of the Class under the name “Advancedlash.” The

manufacturer of the Nuvega Products, Nutracosmetic GmbH, has repeatedly shipped

imported cosmetics to Advanced Beauty LLC.

On information and belief, those

shipments contained the Nuvega Products, and Advanced Beauty LLC aided the other

ScamPulse, https://www.scampulse.com/next-gen-health-solutions-llc-reviews (last

visited Jan. 8, 2020).

Import Genius Summary for Advance Beauty,

https://www.importgenius.com/importers/advance-beauty (last visited Jan. 8, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 57 of 116

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Barone / Chumenko Defendants by assisting in the distribution of those products to

victims.

190. Defendant Natural Beauty Line LLC operated the websites shopnuvega.com,

www.nuveganlashes.com, and www.nuveganbrows.com, and on information and belief,

was used as one of the shell companies whose merchant accounts were cycled through in

billing for the Nuvega Products to avoid fraud detection.

191. The Better Business Bureau page for Natural Beauty Line LLC features

complaints relating to the sale of Nuvega Lash. For example, a victim complained that

after signing up for a trial of Nuvega Lash, Natural Beauty Line LLC shipped them

products which the victim did not order:

I ordered some Nuvegalash trial for $4.99 in September 2018. I was

forwarded some lash, & brow which I didn’t order. The rep said she wasn’t

able to get my credit card to process so I asked her to cancel the order

anyway. My acct was charged $94.97 on 9/24. I returned the products not

satisfied with an RMA# on 10/5. It was delivered to the return address, **

***** ******* *********** *****, on October 9, 2018. I called and spoke

to Natalie, guess that was her name!, on 10/26 and she said the products has

been received and the refund was in process and to check with my bank. I

did and still no word from them to the bank so I filed a dispute. Bank of

America then gave me a refund of $94.97 and investigated or said they did.

On 12/24/2018 BOA charged my account back at $94.97 until they figured it

out,I guess. I shared with BOA local rep the verification of return and receipt

of products by the company. So there is very valid note company receiving

the return of the products. Bank of America has closed the case and I have

still not received my refund. I am hoping this group is investigated as soon

as possible.

192. Defendant Improved Nutraceuticals LLC operates the website

nuvegavegan.com, and on information and belief, was used as one of the shell companies

Natural Beauty Line LLC BBB Page,

https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/manalapan/profile/beauty-supplies/natural-beauty-line-

llc-0221-90185499/complaints (last visited Jan. 29, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 58 of 116

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whose merchant accounts were cycled through in billing for the Nuvega Products to

avoid fraud detection.

193. The Barone / Chumenko Defendants purposely directed their activities

towards California.

194. The Barone / Chumenko Defendants committed intentional acts by running

websites from 2016 through the present accessible to California residents with knowledge

that California residents would purchase and were purchasing from those sites; by

targeting California residents with advertisements; by intentionally defrauding the banks

of California residents by presenting their “false front” websites to those banks as the

sites California residents visited; by “churning” merchant accounts through various shell

companies to intentionally defraud the banks of California residents; by hiring

Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc. to ship products to California residents, to accept and

process returns and complaints from California residents, and to otherwise provide the

services listed on their website in connection with California residents.

195. These intentional acts were expressly aimed at California residents. The

Barone / Chumenko Defendants targeted their conduct at California residents, including

the Plaintiff, and knew they were California residents by virtue of their shipping

addresses and other contact information. These acts involved ongoing, systemic, and

continuous contact with California because the shipment of Nuvega Products occurred

from at least late 2016 through late 2019, a three year period. Those shipments occurred

as part of subscriptions, meaning that the Barone / Chumenko Defendants shipped

continually and regularly to their California victims over long periods of time. The acts

were entirely commercial in nature, as the Barone / Chumenko Defendants profited from

selling the Nuvega Products.

196. The Barone / Chumenko Defendants generated substantial profits from their

acts aimed at California residents. They placed the Nuvega Products into the stream of

commerce, knowing and intending that they would be advertised over the Internet to

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 59 of 116

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California residents and purchased by California consumers, and intending that California

residents be defrauded.

197. The Barone / Chumenko Defendants knew or should have foreseen that their

actions would cause harm in California. As described above, they intentionally ran “free

trial” scams over a lengthy period of time. They knew that California consumers were

being harmed by the scam, and specifically took action to ensure that those California

residents would be unable to obtain refunds from the fraudulent charges. Had they not

done so, the California consumers would not have been harmed because the Nuvega

Products would not have been shipped to them and the Barone / Chumenko Defendants

would not have defrauded these California residents and their banks.

198. Because of these facts, personal jurisdiction is appropriate in California

over the Barone / Chumenko Defendants.

199. The Barone / Chumenko Defendants (Frank V. Barone; Kirill Chumenko;

Improved Nutraceuticals, LLC; Green Pogo LLC (New Jersey); Green Pogo LLC

(Delaware); Fortera Nutra Solutions LLC (previously Next Gen Health Solutions LLC);

Natural Beauty Line LLC; Vegan Beauty LLC; and Advanced Beauty LLC) formed a

joint venture, and each of the members of that joint venture, as well as the joint venture

itself, are jointly and severally liable for the wrongful conduct of any members acting in

furtherance of the venture.

200. The Barone / Chumenko Defendants combined their property, skill, and

knowledge with the intent to carry out a single business undertaking. That business

undertaking was selling the Nuvega Products and operating the related websites, led by

Frank V. Barone and Kirill Chumenko (who ultimately own and control the other

corporate entities).

201. Each of the Barone / Chumenko Defendants has an ownership interest in the

joint venture. On information and belief, Frank V. Barone and Kirill Chumenko are the

ultimate owners of the group of companies. Such agreement is further implied by the

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members’ conduct in creating and controlling the various websites promoting and selling

the Nuvega Products.

202. On information and belief, the Barone / Chumenko Defendants have joint

control over the business, or agreed to delegate that control. Such control is implied by

the member’s conduct because both Frank V. Barone and Kirill Chumenko are members

or managers of the shell companies selling the Nuvega Products, because their home

addresses were used as the business addresses for those companies, because corporate

formalities were not followed by Defendants Barone and Chumenko, and because of the

longstanding business relationship between Barone and Chumenko.

203. The Barone / Chumenko Defendants have an agreement to share the profits

and losses of the joint venture. Such agreement is implied by the members conduct

because of the overlapping corporate ownership and decision-making structure.

204. Each member of the Barone / Chumenko Joint Venture is thus jointly and

severally liable for the wrongful conduct of the other members.

Great Lakes Fulfillment Services Defendants

205. Essential to the Nuvega scheme is Great Lakes Fulfillment Services, now

SFLG, Inc. (“Great Lakes Fulfillment Services”).

206. Great Lakes Fulfillment Services was founded by Defendant Kurt Ellis in

2002, who served as President of the company until it was acquired in August 2019 by

Jet Mail Services.

As of August 2019, Mr. Ellis had agreed to remain with the company

as its President.

On information and belief, Great Lakes Fulfillment Services was a

smaller company throughout this period, and Mr. Ellis was intimately familiar with its

operations and its customers.

Jet Mail Services to Compete in the E-Commerce Fulfillment Sector, POST AND PARCEL,

Aug. 20, 2019 at https://postandparcel.info/112643/news/e-commerce/jet-mail-

services-to-compete-in-the-e-commerce-fulfilment-sector/ (last visited Dec. 11,

2019).

Id.

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207. Defendant Ellis and Defendant SFLG, Inc. (the “Great Lakes Fulfillment

Services Defendants”) operated as the fulfillment company for the Barone/Chumenko

Defendants. The Great Lakes Fulfillment Services Defendants shipped the Nuvega

Products to consumers, handled returns and customer complaints via mail, and on

information and belief provided other services including consulting on business processes

and generally assisting the scheme.

208. Great Lakes Fulfillment is listed as the “Return Department” for Nuvega

Lash on the Contact page of trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/: “Attn: NUVEGA LASH/BROW

Return Department. Great Lakes Fulfillment 41 Canal Street Lewiston, ME 04240.”

is likewise listed as the “Return Department” in the Terms of Service.

209. Great Lakes Fulfillment is listed as the Return Department for

AdvancedLash, a product sold by Green Pogo LLC.

210. Great Lakes Fulfillment is listed as the “Return Department” for Nuvega

Lash on the websites lashesbynuvega.com;

www.nuveganlashes.com;

www.nuvegavegan.com;

www.nuveganbrows.com;

www.shopnuvega.com;

www.browbynuvega.com;

www.bestveganlash.com;

www.bestveganbrow.com;

and

www.nuvegalashforvegans.com.

211. On information and belief, Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc. were well aware

that the Barone/Chumenko Defendants were operating a “free trial” scam and were

billing their customers for subscriptions without obtaining permission to do so, and were

https://trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/page-contact.php (last visited Jan. 2, 2020).

https://trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/page-terms.php (last visited Jan. 2, 2020).

http://www.advancedlashbeauty.com/terms.html (last visited Jan. 2, 2020).

https://lashesbynuvega.com/contact.php (last visited Jan. 24, 2020).

https://www.nuveganlashes.com/contact.php (last visited Jan. 24, 2020).

https://www.nuvegavegan.com/ (last visited Jan. 24, 2020).

https://nuveganbrows.com/ (last visited Jan. 24, 2020).

https://shopnuvega.com/ (last visited Jan. 24, 2020).

https://www.browbynuvega.com/ (last visited Jan. 24, 2020).

https://www.bestveganlash.com/ (last visited Jan. 24, 2020).

https://www.bestveganbrow.com/ (last visited Jan. 24, 2020).

https://www.nuvegalashforvegans.com/ (last visited Jan. 24, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 62 of 116

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deceiving their customers into believing that they would pay “$0.00” for the products

they had signed up for.

212. Because Great Lakes Fulfillment Services was responsible for handling the

returns of the products, it would have been the recipient of consumer complaints. In fact,

the Great Lakes Fulfillment Services website makes clear that they handle returns

themselves and then convey information about those returns to their clients: “Why worry

about where your packages are going, freight optimization, logistics, handling returns and

inventory on your own when you have so many other things to concentrate on? We will

convey that information to you on a daily basis or as per your specific needs.”

213. Great Lakes Fulfillment Services provides a suite of solutions to its

customers that provide a turn-key service for anyone looking to sell a product with

minimal involvement in the process. Those services include “Returns Processing,”

“Continuity/Autoship programs,” “Order Management System,” “Database

Management,” “Inbound Call Center,” “Merchant Processing,” and “Payment

Processing,” among others.

On information and belief, Great Lakes Fulfillment

Services provided these services to the Barone/Chumenko Defendants. And because of

the detailed knowledge of the business (and its credit card processing activities) these

services imply, the Great Lakes Fulfillment Services Defendants could not have escaped

intimate knowledge of the fraud.

214. In fact, Great Lakes Fulfillment Services advertises a testimonial on the

main page from one of their customers, the “Owner and CEO” of NetMarkets LLC. The

testimonial promises that Great Lakes Fulfillment Services is not just a fulfillment

company, but that they take customers under their wing and help them develop their

business processes:

Great Lakes Fulfillment Services, https://www.glfulfillment.com/ (last visited

Jan. 12, 2020).

Great Lakes Fulfillment Services, https://www.glfulfillment.com/glf-services

(last visited Jan. 16, 2020).

Great Lakes Fulfillment Services, https://www.glfulfillment.com/ (last visited

Jan. 12, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 63 of 116

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When we started our direct response supplement company in 2011, we knew

nothing about the business. Thank goodness a major player in the space

introduced us to Great Lakes Fulfillment, as we didn't even know who to go

to, and they were the first fulfillment company we had ever worked with.

They "took us under their wing" and helped us understand the right

way to get our orders processed correctly. Not only that, but over the

next few years as we started growing and we had ideas about things

we'd like to try to do to streamline our processes, Great Lakes stepped

up with custom programming and procedures to help us really serve

our customers in the best possible way. At Great Lakes, they know that

our #1 goal is to treat our customers like royalty... and Great Lakes

consistently helps us achieve that mission every day. We can't say enough

great things about them. We are on track to have a record year in sales in

the next 12 months, and there is no one we would trust that growth to more

than Great Lakes.

215. But NetMarkets LLC, the customer who Great Lakes Fulfillment Services

“took under their wing” and brags about helping to grow and to develop their processes

and procedures, itself is operating free trial scams.

NetMarkets LLC sells three

products: Biogeniste, Juvamend, and NO2 Maximus.

216. Biogeniste racked up numerous complaints by consumers claiming that they

were victims of the exact same kind of free trial scam that the Barone/Chumenko

Defendants operate. For example, a customer of Biogeniste said: “Biogeniste is

perpetrating a classic fraud and scam! They offer a ‘free’ sample, get your credit card

info and then charge you $89.76 plus $5.95 for an unwanted follow-up shipment as if you

became a subscriber for their supposed ‘anti-wrinkle cream’. These people are a typical

example of American Greed, they should be banned from commerce and put in jail.”

NetMarkets LLC Better Business Bureau Page,

https://www.bbb.org/us/ny/brooklyn/profile/health-products/netmarkets-llc-0121-

135028/complaints (last visited Jan. 12, 2020).

Biogeniste Amazon Page, https://www.amazon.com/BioGeniste-Instant-Wrinkle-

Reducer/product-reviews/B0076KS6NU (last visited Jan. 12, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 64 of 116

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217. Biogeniste operated both a “false front” home page with a prominent link to

the terms of service,

as well as landing pages for victims with that link removed.

218. Juvamend is likewise a classic version of the free-trial scam—complete with

a “false front” home page where victims purportedly agreed to the terms of service,

separate landing page which removed the link to the terms of service and the box

requiring customers to agree to it,

and affiliate networks sending victims to the landing

page where they would be unaware of the terms.

219. Similarly, NO2 Maximus has both a “false front” which requires customers

to agree to a prominent terms of service,

as well as a separate website which does not

contain the click box and does not notify customers of the subscription.

220. This is who the Great Lakes Fulfillment Services Defendants “took under

their wing”—and who they chose as their primary reference account to attract new

customers in this “industry.” It is no surprise that the deceptive tactics NetMarkets LLC

was using found their way to the Barone/Chumenko Defendants.

221. The Great Lakes Fulfillment Services Defendants’ role in handling product

returns means that they necessarily would have had knowledge of customer complaints

about the Nuvega Products. On information and belief, they would have received

Biogeniste Home Page,

https://web.archive.org/web/20140207233332/http://biogeniste.com/ (last visited

Jan. 17, 2020).

Biogeniste Landing Page,

https://web.archive.org/web/20140211200157/http://www.biogeniste.com/200JB/index1.p

hp (last visited Jan. 17, 2020).

Juvamend Home Page,

https://web.archive.org/web/20130417081643/http://tryjuvamend.com/ (last visited

Jan. 17, 2020).

Juvamend Landing Page,

https://web.archive.org/web/20130404235856/http://www.tryjuvamend.com/20W/index.php

(last visited Jan. 17, 2020).

Cactus Media Facebook Page,

https://m.facebook.com/cactusmedia/posts/433813593365539 (last visited Jan. 17,

2020).

NO2 Maximus Body Website, https://no2maximusbody.com/ (last visited Jan. 17,

2020).

NO2 Maximus Website, http://no2maximus.com/ (last visited Jan. 17, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 65 of 116

CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

numerous complaints similar to the ones flooding various Internet pages regarding the

Nuvega Products.

222. In fact, Great Lakes Fulfillment Services’ description of itself on its Better

Business Bureau page makes clear that the company was receiving complaints from

customers: “Great Lakes Fulfillment (GLF) is a 3rd party fulfillment center. GLF

packages and ships the orders only and is not involved with processing orders, billing, or

refunds. UPS requires GLF to put their name and address on all packages shipped by

their service. For complaints involving these issues please file against the business from

whom you purchased the products originally.”

223. Not only is this statement evidence of the Great Lakes Fulfillment Services

Defendants’ knowledge that victims were complaining, it is itself an intentional act of

deception designed to hide their role in the fraud: the Great Lakes Fulfillment Services

Defendants falsely told victims and the Better Business Bureau that “GLF packages and

ships the orders only and is not involved with processing orders, billing, or refunds”

when its website makes clear that it provides an “Order Management System,” “Payment

Processing,” “Merchant Processing,” “Returns Processing,” and an “Inbound Call

Center.”

224. The Yelp Page for Great Lakes Fulfillment Services features multiple

negative reviews blasting the company for its involvement in free trial scams. On

information and belief, the Great Lakes Fulfillment Services Defendants were aware of

these reviews and yet continued to participate in the fraud, acting as a consultant not just

to the Barone/Chumenko Defendants but to a wide variety of Internet scammers

operating similar schemes.

Great Lakes Fulfillment Services BBB Page,

https://www.bbb.org/us/me/lewiston/profile/merchandise-warehouse/great-lakes-

fulfillment-services-0021-103120 (last visited Jan. 17, 2020).

Great Lakes Fulfillment Services, https://www.glfulfillment.com/glf-services

(last visited Jan. 16, 2020).

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225. A victim of an unidentified scam posted on the Great Lakes Fulfillment

Services Yelp page on November 22, 2019: “This is a scam operated company, they

advertise a 30 day supply of product, for 9 dollar shipping cost, then without notice

charged my card $90.00 plus , so the 30 day supply is not true for the shipping cost !! I

will pursue a complaint with the better business bureau and state govonors office !!”

226. Another victim posted regarding another scam that was apparently being

shipped through Great Lakes Fulfillment Services:

100

The name that these people operate under is Ortho Molecular Therapeutic

Research. They take your $$ but then are very slow to send out the product.

Then the order was CANCELLED BEFORE it was even shipped, however,

they sent it anyway and then said "try it, try it". The product doesn't work

then when you try to get your $$ back, that is when the nightmare begins.

DO NOT SEND THESE PEOPLE YOUR MONEY!! They force you to

take the shipment then when you return it, they fight you on giving you back

your money. Apparently at this company, the laws of common sense cease

to exist as it takes them 2 months to refund you your money. But when you

ask them about it, they lie and say 4-6 weeks even though months have

passed. This will not be the last time you hear from me unless you refund

my money immediately. I know its hard to let go of that well earned

scammed money, but do the right thing. Better Business is next on my list.

227. A victim of an unknown scam wrote on January 9, 2019 that: “this place is a

sham. I ordered pills and tried to return them and they didn't accept them.”

101

228. And one victim wrote on May 7, 2014 to personally attack Defendant Ellis

for his role in the fraud:

102

The point of these sites is to get your credit card data, full stop. He will

say/do anything to get that and then, "buh-bye". Pure scam. Nothing of

Great Lakes Fulfillment Services Yelp Page, https://www.yelp.com/biz/great-lakes-

fulfillment-services-lewiston (last visited Jan. 17, 2020).

100

Id.

101

Id.

102

Id.

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value being offered. Lots of pseudo-science and fuzzy logic. But it's about

getting the credit card, not health.

The guy behind this runs lots of health connected sites, all cons. The

umbrella "business" is "Great Lakes Fulfillment Service" which actually

ships the crap. All cons, he's behind The Diet Spray LLC, Veloura

International, Natural Health Network Postage only Trial, AU Esentials,

Inc., Garcinia Cambogia 360, Inc. None of those trade names are registered

or authorized to transact business in the State of Maine, so go no further to

see that he is, in fact, a crook. The following is his contact information. The

second contact is his lawyer. Between these two you can serve legal notices

or just pay a visit and say howdy.

Kurt Ellis

41 Canal St, 3rd Floor

Lewiston, ME, 04240

229. The victim proceeded to provide additional contact information regarding

Defendant Ellis and the name and contact information for his lawyer. This victim posted

the same review to a website called Ripoff Report, again personally calling out Defendant

Ellis as a “crook” and a “con.”

103

230. Another victim posted on Ripoff Report on June 18, 2014 to report Great

Lakes Fulfillment Services by name and address for its involvement in a scam. After

listing the company’s name and address in a report titled “Great Lakes Fulfillment

Service Garcinia Cambogia 360 Free Bottle Scam Lewiston Maine,” the victim stated:

104

I saw an ad for Garcinia Cambogia 360 which said that you could get a risk-

free bottle of the supplement and all you had to pay was shipping and

handling.

103

Ripoff Report, https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/great-lakes-fulfillment-

service/lewiston-maine-04240/great-lakes-fulfillment-service-the-diet-spray-llc-

veloura-international-natural-health-1144806 (last visited Jan. 17, 2020).

104

Ripoff Report, https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/great-lakes-fulfillment-

service/lewiston-maine-04240/great-lakes-fulfillment-service-garcinia-cambogia-360-

free-bottle-scam-lewiston-maine-1155638 (last visited Jan. 17, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 68 of 116

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The product looked promising so I went on their website and ordered my

free bottle and paid the $5.95 necessary.

Nowhere on the order form did it say that this was a time-limited free trial

and that if I did not cancel within 13 days that I would be charged $87.97 for

the bottle containing 30 pills that I was supposed to have gotten for free.

I tried the product twice and it actually made me nauseaus, so I stopped

using it but thought nothing of it since it was supposed to be a free bottle and

I was only out $5.95...

This was less than 1 month ago, and today I just got charged another $87.97

for another supposed shipment that I did not sign up for.

I called customer service and the representative kept trying to get me to stick

with the Auto-Shipment program that I did not sign up for. After a while she

did cancel my account and gave me the RMA# necessary for returns as well

as the return address where I have to send the shipment to once I receive it.

I am only going to be refunded the $87.97 that I got charged today, but they

will not refund the other $87.97 even though that first shipment was

supposed to be free.

Had I known that I was going to end up being charged that ridiculous

amount I would never have even ordered the supposed "free" bottle.

Buyers be ware... If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

These people need to be held accountable for this scam!!!

231. In a review on RipOffReport posted on April 11, 2009 and titled “Acai

Advanced - GLF ,Great Lakes Fulfillment Acai Advance ‘free’ trial is a scam. You are

charged before trying product Lewiston Maine,” a victim reported:

105

RipOff Report, https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/acai-advanced-glf-great-

lakes-fulfillment/lewiston-maine-04240/acai-advanced-glf-great-lakes-fulfillment-

acai-advance-free-trial-is-a-scam-you-are-442784 (last visited Jan. 24, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 69 of 116

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Acai Advanced baits you in with a "Risk Free" 15 day trial offer. I received

the product 2 days before the 15 days was up, and my credit card was

charged in full. I called the 800 # to cancel, put on hold, no one ever

answered. Up to 1 hr 40 min on hold. Sent several e-mails, no replies. To

keep from being "ripped off" again, I had to cancel my credit card.

This is no "Risk Free" trial offer. They get you to pay for S/H and then

charge you in full long before trail ends. You can't cancel your automatic

subscription because they don't answer and don't respond.

232. Multiple other complaints refer to the Great Lakes Fulfillment Services

Defendants’ address as the location for other free trial scams, even if the victims did not

know their name.

106

233. The Great Lakes Fulfillment Services Defendants must have known about

these various reviews and complaints. Several of them specifically named Mr. Ellis and

one provided personal contact information for Mr. Ellis and for his lawyer, urging

victims to “pay a visit and say howdy.” A search for their own business name or street

address would have revealed all of these complaints. And their intimate role as business

consultants for these scammers (among the other services they provide) would have given

them knowledge of the fraud they were enabling.

234. On information and belief, Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc. were acting as

consultants to assist free trial scammers in operating their scams in order to generate

shipping business, and they did so from at least 2009 through the present. And on

information and belief, Defendants Ellis and Great Lakes Fulfillment Services acted as

consultants to assist the Barone/Chumenko Defendants in defrauding consumers of the

106

RipOff Report, https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/acai-advanced-glf-great-

lakes-fulfillment/lewiston-maine-04240/acai-advanced-glf-great-lakes-fulfillment-

acai-advance-free-trial-is-a-scam-you-are-442784 (last visited Jan. 24, 2020);

RipOff Report, https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/024-pain-management/lewiston-

maine-04240/024-pain-management-revive-bioscience-uk-c0-glf-biosceince-uk-co-glf-

41-canal-st-lew-925761 (last visited Jan. 24, 2020); RipOff Report,

https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/024-pain-management/lewiston-maine-04240/024-

pain-management-revive-bioscience-uk-c0-glf-biosceince-uk-co-glf-41-canal-st-lew-

925761 (last visited Jan. 24, 2020).

Case 4:20-cv-00761-KAW Document 1 Filed 02/01/20 Page 70 of 116

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Nuvega Products, knew that the fraud was occurring, and intentionally continued to aid

and support the Barone/Chumenko Defendants in their fraud despite this knowledge.

235. Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc. purposely directed their activities towards

California.

236. Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc. committed intentional acts by shipping

products to California residents, accepting and processing returns and complaints from

California residents, consulting for the Barone/Chumenko Defendants on sales that they

knew would be made to California residents, and otherwise providing the services listed

on their website in connection with California customers.

237. These intentional acts were expressly aimed at California residents.

Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc. targeted their conduct at California residents, including

the Plaintiff, and knew they were California residents by virtue of their shipping

addresses and other contact information. These acts involved ongoing, systemic, and

continuous contact with California because the shipment of Nuvega Products occurred

from at least late 2016 through late 2019, a three year period. Those shipments occurred

as part of subscriptions, meaning that Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc. shipped

continually and regularly to their California victims over long periods of time. The acts

were entirely commercial in nature, as Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc. marketed

themselves as providing these services specifically to companies they knew would sell

nationwide via the Internet.

238. Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc. generated substantial profits from their acts

aimed at California residents. They intentionally assisted the Barone/Chumenko

Defendants in placing the Nuvega Products into the stream of commerce, knowing and

intending that they would be advertised over the Internet to and purchased by California

consumers.

239. Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc. knew or should have foreseen that their

actions would cause harm in California. As described above, they intentionally assisted

“free trial” scammers over a lengthy period of time. They provided various services for a

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CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

three-year period to the Barone/Chumenko Defendants knowing that California

consumers were being harmed by the scam, and specifically interacting with those

consumers when they attempted to obtain refunds from the fraudulent charges. Had they

not provided these services, the California consumers would not have been harmed

because the Nuvega Products would not have been shipped to them and the

Barone/Chumenko Defendants would not have benefitted from the experience of

Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc. in helping other “free trial” scammers design their

business processes.

240. Because of these facts, personal jurisdiction is appropriate in California

over Defendants Ellis and SFLG, Inc.

CLASS ACTION ALLEGATIONS

241. Plaintiff incorporates all preceding and subsequent paragraphs by reference

as if set forth fully herein.

242. Plaintiff brings this class action pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. Rule 23, seeking

certification of Plaintiff’s claims and certain issues in this action on the Class, consisting

of:

Nationwide Class: All consumers in the United States who, within the

applicable statute of limitations period until the date notice is disseminated,

were billed for the Nuvega Products.

243. In the alternative, Plaintiffs seek certification of the following class:

California Class: All consumers in the United States who, within the

applicable statute of limitations period until the date notice is disseminated,

were billed for the Nuvega Products.

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CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

244. “Nuvega Products” means Nuvega Lash, Nuvega Eyelash Serum, Nuvega

Brow, Nuvega Eyebrow Serum, Advanced Lash, Evolips, and Evolips Volumizing Gloss.

Plaintiff expects that this definition will be modified in discovery as information is

obtained from the John Doe Defendants. In particular, Plaintiff expects that there may be

other products sold by the same Defendants with the exact same formulation, similar or

identical injuries, but different labels or names. Plaintiff further expects that the conduct

of the affiliates, the Defendants, or the “crooked processors” may be subject to a different

and much broader class that encompasses identical injuries that go beyond this specific

product line.

245. Excluded from the Class are governmental entities, Defendants, any entity in

which Defendants have a controlling interest, and Defendants’ officers, directors,

affiliates, legal representatives, employees, co-conspirators, successors, subsidiaries, and

assigns. Also excluded from the Class is any judge, justice, or judicial officer presiding

over this matter and the members of their immediate families and judicial staff.

246. Plaintiff reserves the right to amend or modify the class descriptions by

making it more specific or dividing the class members into subclasses or limiting the

issues.

247. NUMEROSITY: Plaintiff is informed and believe, and on that basis allege,

that the Plaintiff Class is so numerous that individual joinder of all members would be

impracticable. It is apparent that the number of consumers of injured by similar or

identical Products by the Defendants would be so large as to make joinder impracticable

as the Class (or Classes) would be comprised of thousands of consumers geographically

dispersed throughout the United States. While the exact number of Class members is

currently unknown, such information can be ascertained through appropriate discovery.

248. COMMONALITY: Defendants’ practices and omissions were applied

uniformly to all members of the Class, so that the questions of law and fact are common

to all members of the Class. All members of the putative Classes were and are similarly

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affected by having purchased and used the Products, and the relief sought herein is for the

benefit of Plaintiff and members of the putative Class.

249. PREDOMINANCE: Questions of law and fact common to the Class exist

that predominate over questions affecting only individual members, including but not

limited to:

a) whether Defendants’ representations discussed above are misleading, or

objectively reasonably likely to deceive;

b) whether Defendants’ omissions discussed above involve facts the

Defendants were obliged to disclose or facts contrary to representations by

the Defendants;

c) whether the Defendants’ owed consumers a duty to disclose the omitted

material facts;

d) whether Defendants’ alleged conduct is unlawful;

e) whether the alleged conduct constitutes violations of the laws asserted;

f) whether the Defendants’ wrongful conduct was intentional or knowing;

g) whether the Defendants’ wrongful conduct warrants punitive damages;

h) whether Defendants engaged in false or misleading advertising; and

i) whether Plaintiff and Class members are entitled to appropriate remedies,

including restitution, damages, and injunctive relief.

250. TYPICALITY: The claims asserted by Plaintiff in this action are typical of

the claims of the members of the Class, as the claims arise from the same course of

conduct by Defendants, all members of the Class have been similarly affected by

Defendants’ course of conduct, and the relief sought is common.

251. ADEQUACY: Plaintiff will fairly and adequately represent and protect the

interests of the members of the Class. Plaintiff has no interest adverse to the interests of

the other Class members. Plaintiff has retained competent counsel with substantial

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experience in complex litigation and litigation involving scientific and technical issues,

who are committed to vigorously prosecuting this action on behalf of the Class.

252. SUPERIORITY: A class action is superior to other available methods for the

fair and efficient adjudication of the present controversy, in that it will permit a large

number of claims to be resolved in a single forum simultaneously, efficiently, and

without the unnecessary hardship that would result from the prosecution of numerous

individual actions and the duplication of discovery, effort, expense and burden on the

courts that individual actions would engender. The benefits of proceeding as a class

action, including providing a method for obtaining redress for claims that would not be

practical to pursue individually, are far superior than any difficulties that might be argued

with regard to the management of this class action. This superiority makes class litigation

superior to any other method available for the fair and efficient adjudication of these

claims. Absent a class action, it would be highly unlikely that the representative Plaintiff

or any other members of the Class would be able to protect their own interests because

the cost of litigation through individual lawsuits might exceed expected recovery.

253. Certification of this class action is appropriate because the questions of law

or fact common to the respective members of the Class predominate over questions of

law or fact affecting only individual members. Certification also is appropriate because

Defendants acted, or refused to act, on grounds generally applicable to the Class, thereby

making appropriate the relief sought on behalf of the Class as a whole. Further, given the

large number of potentially injured consumers, allowing individual actions to proceed in

lieu of a class action would run the risk of yielding inconsistent and conflicting

adjudications. Certification of Plaintiff’s claims for class-wide treatment is also

appropriate because Plaintiff can prove the elements of the claims on a class-wide basis

using the same evidence as would be used to prove those elements in individual actions

alleging the same claims.

254. Notice to the members of the Class may be accomplished inexpensively,

efficiently, and in a manner best designed to protect the rights of all Class members.

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CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

Class notice can likely be directly sent to individual members of the Class because

Defendants’ own records and documents will likely identify all members of the Class and

contain their contact information.

CAUSES OF ACTION

FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION

Violation of the Consumer Legal Remedies Act

Cal. Civ. Code § 1750, et seq.

255. Plaintiff incorporates all preceding and subsequent paragraphs by reference

as if set forth fully herein.

256. Plaintiff brings this claim individually and on behalf of the Class.

257. The CLRA prohibits deceptive practices in connection with the conduct of a

business that provides goods, property, or services primarily for personal, family, or

household purposes.

258. Defendants’ false and misleading labeling and other policies, acts, and

practices were designed to, and did, induce the purchase and use of Defendants’ Product

for personal, family, or household purposes by Plaintiff and Class Members, and violated

and continue to violate the following sections of the CLRA:

a. § 1770(a)(2): misrepresenting the source, sponsorship, approval, or

certification of goods or services, in particular through the false

celebrity endorsements and false presentation of websites as news

articles described herein;

b. § 1770(a)(3): misrepresenting the affiliation, connection, or

association with, or certification by, another, in particular through the

false celebrity endorsements and false presentation of websites as

news articles described herein;

c. § 1770(a)(5): representing that goods have sponsorship, approval,

characteristics, ingredients, uses, benefits, or quantities that they do

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CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

not have, in particular through the false celebrity endorsements, the

“false front” websites, the representations regarding limited supply,

and the false presentation of websites as news articles described

herein;

d. § 1770(a)(7): representing that goods are of a particular standard,

quality, or grade if they are of another, in particular the false celebrity

endorsements as described herein;

e. § 1770(a)(9): advertising goods with intent not to sell them as

advertised, in particular in representing that they would be sold for the

cost of shipping and handling as part of a free trial or for $0.00 when

the Defendants in fact intended to sell them as part of an ongoing

subscription;

f. § 1770(a)(13): making false or misleading statements of fact

concerning reasons for, existence of, or amounts of, price reductions,

in particular the false representations of a “free trial,” the false

representations that the products would cost $0.00, and the false

representations regarding limited supply as described herein;

259. Defendants profited from their sales of the falsely, deceptively, and

unlawfully advertised Product to unwary consumers.

260. Plaintiff and members of the Class purchased the Products for personal use,

in reliance on Defendants’ false and misleading material claims as described herein.

261. Pursuant to Cal. Civ. Code § 1780(d), Plaintiff has attached its affidavit of

venue hereto as Exhibit 2.

262. As a result of Defendants’ violations of the CLRA, Plaintiff and the Class

have suffered irreparable harm and seek injunctive relief prohibiting further violations of

the CLRA. Plaintiff and the Class also seek to recover their attorneys’ fees and costs.

263. Ms. Adam has standing to seek injunctive relief because she may be injured

by the Defendants’ conduct in the future. The Barone/Chumenko Defendants appear to be

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CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

cycling through product names and product types, and on information and belief, are now

running another “free trial” scam for a product called Red Fortera. The Defendants may

present other offers that result in fraudulent billing and which would be difficult to detect

or identify as coming from them. The Defendants further have Ms. Adam’s credit card

and other personal information and could attempt to bill her in the future without her

consent, just as they did in the past.

264. Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1782(d), a plaintiff may without prior notification

file a complaint alleging violations of the CLRA that seeks injunctive relief only. If the

plaintiff later sends a CLRA notification letter and the defendant does not remedy the

CLRA violations within 30 days of notification, the plaintiff may amend its CLRA causes

of action without leave of court to add claims for damages.

265. Pursuant to §1782 of the CLRA and concurrently with the filing/service of

this complaint, Plaintiff will notify Defendants in writing of the particular violations of

§1770 of the CLRA and demand Defendants rectify the actions described above by

providing complete monetary relief, agreeing to be bound by their legal obligations and

to give notice to all affected customers of their intent to do so.

266. If Defendants fail to adequately respond to Plaintiff’s demand within 30

days of the letter pursuant to §1782 of the CLRA, Plaintiff will then amend this claim to

add additional claims for relief, including claims for compensatory and punitive damages.

SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION

Violation of the California False Advertising Law

Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17500, et seq.

267. Plaintiff incorporates all preceding and subsequent paragraphs by reference

as if set forth fully herein.

268. Plaintiff brings this claim individually and on behalf of the Class.

269. Pursuant to California Business and Professions Code § 17500, et seq., it is

unlawful to engage in advertising “which is untrue or misleading, and which is known, or

which by the exercise of reasonable care should be known, to be untrue or misleading . . .

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[or] to so make or disseminate or cause to be so made or disseminated any such statement

as part of a plan or scheme with the intent not to sell that personal property or those

services, professional or otherwise, so advertised at the price stated therein, or as so

advertised.”

270. Defendants have violated § 17500, et seq., in particular as described herein

through the false celebrity endorsements, the omissions regarding their “false front”

websites, their presentation of the “false front” websites to banks and credit card

companies, the representations regarding limited supply, their efforts to make it difficult

to cancel subscriptions, the “free trial” representations, the false representation that the

products would cost $0.00, and the false presentation of websites as news articles

described herein.

271. Pursuant to California Business and Professions Code § 17505, “No person

shall state, in an advertisement of his goods, that he is a producer, manufacturer,

processor, wholesaler, or importer, or that he owns or controls a factory or other source of

supply of goods, when such is not the fact, and no person shall in any other manner

misrepresent the character, extent, volume, or type of his business.”

272. Defendants have violated § 17505, in particular through their representations

of limited supply, the “false front” website, the false celebrity endorsements, and the false

presentation of websites as news articles described herein.

273. Defendants misled consumers by making misrepresentations and untrue

statements about their products as described herein.

274. Defendants misled consumers by omitting material information which they

were under a duty to disclose as described herein. Defendants were under a duty to

disclose this material information to Plaintiff and the Class Members.

275. Defendants knew, or by the exercise of reasonable care should have known,

that their representations and omissions were untrue and misleading, and deliberately

made the aforementioned representations and omissions in order to deceive reasonable

consumers like Plaintiff and other Class Members. In particular and inter alia, this is

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evidenced by the numerous negative reviews online regarding these products and others

which were specifically directed at the Defendants or their companies by name, by

customer complaints which, on information and belief, were communicated directly to

the Defendants by victims, by the outlandishness of the conduct described and of the

stories the Defendants concocted regarding Blac Chyna, Oprah, Shark Tank, and others,

the significant publicity these illegal free trial schemes have received, prior FTC actions

and criminal prosecutions against similar enterprises, and the fact that the prevalence and

illegality of these activities is well known in the affiliate marketing and direct marketing

industries.

276. As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ misleading and false

advertising, Plaintiff and the other Class Members have suffered injury in fact and have

lost money or property, time, and attention. Plaintiff reasonably relied upon Defendants’

representations regarding their products. In reasonable reliance on Defendants’ false

representations, Plaintiff and other Class Members purchased the products at issue and

paid more for those products than they would have had they been aware that Defendants’

representations were false. Plaintiff and other Class Members ended up with Products

that were overpriced, inaccurately marketed, and did not have the characteristics,

qualities, or value promised by Defendants, and therefore Plaintiff and other Class

Members have suffered injury in fact.

277. Defendants’ representations were material to the decision of Plaintiffs and

the Class Members to purchase Defendants’ products, and a reasonable person would

have attached importance to the truth or falsity of the representations made by the

Defendants in determining whether to purchase the Defendants’ products. The suggestion

that the products were endorsed by Blac Chyna was a factor in Ms. Adam’s purchase and

tended to lend credibility to the product, and a reasonable consumer who knew this was

false would not have signed up for the “free trial.” With respect to the omissions by

Defendants as described herein, those omissions were material and Plaintiff and the Class

Members would have behaved differently if the information had been disclosed. Had

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Defendants disclosed the omitted information, that there would be an ongoing

subscription and not a one-time free sample with only a shipping and handling charge,

that there was not a limited supply, and that the Defendants intended to use the “false

front” websites to defraud their banks and credit card companies if any of their victims

attempted a chargeback, Plaintiff and the Class Members would have been aware of it

and would not have purchased the products from Defendant or would not have paid the

same price for those products.

278. Defendants advertised to Plaintiff and other Class Members, through written

representations and omissions made by Defendants and their employees that the Nuvega

Products would be of a particular nature and quality.

279. The misleading and false advertising described herein presents a continuing

threat to Plaintiff and the Class Members in that Defendants persist and continue to

engage in these practices, and will not cease doing so unless and until forced to do so by

this Court. Defendants’ conduct will continue to cause irreparable injury to consumers

unless enjoined or restrained. Plaintiff is entitled to injunctive relief ordering Defendants

to cease their false advertising, and Plaintiff and all Class Members are entitled to

restitution of the entirety of the Defendants’ revenues associated with their false

advertising, or such portion of those revenues as the Court may find equitable.

THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION

Violation of the Unfair and Fraudulent Prongs

of the California Unfair Competition Law

Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17200, et seq.

280. Plaintiff incorporates all preceding and subsequent paragraphs by reference

as if set forth fully herein.

281. Plaintiff brings this claim individually and on behalf of the Class under the

“unfair” and “fraudulent” prongs of California’s Unfair Competition Law, Business and

Professions Code section 17200, et seq., on behalf of themselves and the Classes against

Defendants.

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282. As alleged herein, Plaintiff has suffered injury in fact and lost money or

property as a result of Defendants’ conduct because Ms. Adam was autobilled without

her permission, was charged on her credit card without permission, and was unable to

convince her bank to refund the charges. She further did not receive the benefits

promised by the Nuvega Products, including a product endorsed by Blac Chyna and other

celebrities. On information and belief, she further suffered injury because the

Barone/Chumenko Defendants presented a “false front” website to Chase Bank or made

other false representations to Chase Bank when they were investigating the chargebacks.

Plaintiff suffered that injury at the time of purchase when Plaintiff bought products that

do not deliver the benefits Defendants promise, as well as on the dates her credit card was

billed without permission.

283. The Unfair Competition Law, Business & Professions Code §17200, et seq.

(“UCL”) prohibits “unfair competition,” which includes “any unlawful, unfair or

fraudulent business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue or misleading advertising

and any act prohibited by Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 17500) of Part 3 of

Division 7 of the Business and Professions Code.”

284. Defendants committed “unfair” business acts or practices by, among other

things: (1) engaging in conduct where the utility of such conduct, if any, is outweighed

by the gravity of the consequences to Plaintiffs and members of the Classes; (2) engaging

in conduct that is immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous, or substantially injurious

to Plaintiffs and members of the Classes; and (3) engaging in conduct that undermines or

violates the spirit or intent of the consumer protection laws alleged in this Class Action

Complaint.

285. The utility of the conduct committed by Defendants and as described herein

is nonexistent. There is no utility to falsely suggesting to customers that a product has

been endorsed by celebrities, to falsely suggesting a customer is signing up for a free

trial, to running a “false front” website to deceive banks and others, or to any of the other

conduct by the Defendants. The harm to consumers caused by this conduct, by contrast,

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is significant. The Defendants’ conduct described herein not only deprived the consumers

of the value they were expecting to receive, it also caused them to treat themselves with

ineffective products rather than alternative options, deprived them of money, and

interfered with their lawful efforts to convince their banks that a fraudulent transaction

had occurred.

286. Defendants’ conduct as described in this Complaint offends established

public policies. The Defendants’ conduct violated numerous civil and criminal statutes,

as described further herein and in detail in the Fourth Cause of Action. Those statutes

exist for a reason: to protect consumers from unfair marketing practices, and in many

cases to protect consumers’ health. It is a particularly important public policy issue to

avoid these kinds of violations in products that relate to health care or that are applied to

the human body given the risks of such violations.

287. Defendants’ conduct as described in this Complaint is immoral, unethical,

oppressive, and unscrupulous, as well as substantially injurious to Plaintiff and the Class.

In particular and inter alia, this is evidenced by the outlandishness of the conduct

described and of the story the Defendants concocted regarding Blac Chyna, Oprah, Shark

Tank, and other celebrities, the significant publicity these illegal free trial schemes have

received, prior FTC actions against similar criminal enterprises, and the fact that the

illegality of these activities is well known in the affiliate marketing and direct marketing

industries, and by the widespread dishonesty present in the Defendants’ marketing

materials.

288. Defendants’ conduct as described in this Complaint violates the letter, spirit,

and intent of the consumer protection laws. Their products are marketed dishonestly and

in violation of various consumer protection laws, as described herein and in the Causes of

Action of this complaint.

289. As detailed herein, Defendants’ unfair and/or fraudulent practices include

disseminating false and/or misleading representations, through their marketing and

advertising.

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290. Defendants are aware that the claims or omissions they have made about the

Products were and continue to be false and misleading.

291. Defendants had an improper motive—profit before accurate marketing—in

their practices related to their deceptive practices, as set forth herein.

292. There were reasonably available alternatives to further Defendants’

legitimate business interests other than the conduct described herein. For example,

Defendants could have removed the false and misleading representations from their

advertisements, provided omitted information the Plaintiffs to avoid any deception, and

could have complied with the law rather than violating the statutes as described in

Plaintiff’s Fourth Cause of Action.

293. As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ unfair or fraudulent business

acts and practices and misleading and false advertising, Plaintiff and the other Class

Members have suffered injury in fact and have lost money or property, time, and

attention. Plaintiff reasonably relied upon Defendants’ representations regarding their

products. In reasonable reliance on Defendants’ false representations, Plaintiff and other

Class Members purchased the products at issue and paid more for those products than

they would have had they been aware that Defendants’ representations were false.

Plaintiff and other Class Members ended up with Products that were overpriced,

inaccurately marketed, and did not have the characteristics, qualities, or value promised

by Defendants, and therefore Plaintiff and other Class Members have suffered injury in

fact.

294. Defendant’s representations were material to the decision of Plaintiffs and

the Class Members to purchase Defendant’s products, and a reasonable person would

have attached importance to the truth or falsity of the representations made by Defendant

in determining whether to purchase Defendant’s products, as described in detail herein.

With respect to the omissions by Defendant as described herein, those omissions were

material and Plaintiff and the Class Members would have behaved differently if the

information had been disclosed. Had Defendants disclosed the omitted information,

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Plaintiff and the Class Members would have been aware of it and would not have

purchased the products from Defendant or would not have paid the same price for those

products. Similarly, had Defendants not engaged in the unfair and fraudulent business

acts or practices described in this Complaint, Plaintiff and the Class Members would not

have purchased the products from Defendant or would not have paid the same price for

those products.

295. As purchasers and consumers of Defendants’ Products, and as members of

the general public who purchased and used the Products and have suffered injury in fact

and lost money and property as a result of this unfair competition and unlawful conduct,

Plaintiff and the Class are entitled to and bring this class action seeking all available

remedies under the UCL.

296. The unfair and unlawful competitive practices described herein presents a

continuing threat to Plaintiff and the Class Members in that Defendants persist and

continue to engage in these practices, and will not cease doing so unless and until forced

to do so by this Court. Defendants’ conduct will continue to cause irreparable injury to

consumers unless enjoined or restrained. Under Business & Professions Code § 17203,

Plaintiff is entitled to injunctive relief ordering Defendants to cease their unfair

competitive practices, and Plaintiff and all Class Members are entitled to restitution of the

entirety of the Defendants’ revenues associated with their unlawful acts and practices, or

such portion of those revenues as the Court may find equitable.

FOURTH CAUSE OF ACTION

Violation of the Unlawful Prong

of the California Unfair Competition Law

Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17200, et seq.

297. Plaintiff incorporates all preceding and subsequent paragraphs by reference

as if set forth fully herein.

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298. Plaintiff brings this claim under the “unlawful” prong of California’s Unfair

Competition Law, Business and Professions Code section 17200, et seq., individually and

on behalf of the Class against the Defendants.

299. The Unfair Competition Law, Business & Professions Code §17200, et seq.

(“UCL”) prohibits “unfair competition,” which includes “any unlawful, unfair or

fraudulent business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue or misleading advertising

and any act prohibited by Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 17500) of Part 3 of

Division 7 of the Business and Professions Code.”

300. As detailed in Plaintiff’s First Cause of Action, Defendants’ acts and

practices are unlawful because they violate the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act,

Cal. Civ. Code § 1750, et seq.

301. As detailed in Plaintiff’s Second Cause of Action, the Defendants’ acts and

practices are unlawful because they violate the California False Advertising Law,

Business & Professions Code §§ 17500, et seq.

302. As detailed in Plaintiff’s Third Cause of Action, the Defendants’ acts and

practices are unlawful because they violate the prongs of California’s Unfair Competition

Law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17200, et seq., which prohibit any “unfair or fraudulent

business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue or misleading advertising....”

303. As detailed in Plaintiff’s Sixth Cause of Action, the Defendants’ acts and

practices are unlawful because they violate the California Automatic Renewal Law, Cal.

Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17600, et seq.

304. As detailed in Plaintiff’s Sixth Cause of Action, the Defendants’ acts and

practices are unlawful because they violate the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, 15 U.S.C.

§ 1693e.

Bank Fraud

In Violation Of

18 U.S. Code § 1344

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305. The Defendants’ conduct here is unlawful because they have committed

bank fraud and conspired to commit multiple counts of bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.

Code § 1344.

306. Pursuant to 18 U.S. Code § 1344, “[w]hoever knowingly executes, or

attempts to execute, a scheme or artifice (1) to defraud a financial institution; or (2) to

obtain any of the moneys, funds, credits, assets, securities, or other property owned by, or

under the custody or control of, a financial institution, by means of false or fraudulent

pretenses, representations, or promises” is in violation of the statute.

307. Pursuant to 18 U.S. Code § 1349, “[a]ny person who attempts or conspires to

commit any offense under this chapter shall be subject to the same penalties as those

prescribed for the offense, the commission of which was the object of the attempt or

conspiracy.”

308. The Defendants here conspired to commit bank fraud and to receive money

obtained from bank fraud in violation of federal law.

309. The money obtained by the Defendants through the

trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/ website was obtained through credit or debit cards and was

thus under the custody or control of financial institutions (in the case of Ms. Adam,

Chase Bank). That money was obtained fraudulently. As described in this complaint, the

Defendants intentionally used fake news stories and fake endorsements from celebrities,

with the intent that Plaintiff and the Class rely upon them, in order to obtain their credit

card numbers for the purpose of fraudulently billing them for subscriptions they did not

agree to. The Defendants intentionally created “false front” websites for the purpose of

defrauding banks and credit card companies into believing that customers consented to

these subscriptions, when in fact the customers were told that they would pay $0.00 for

the Nuvega Products. The Defendants further “churned” the merchant accounts of various

shell companies to deceive banking institutions and prevent them from identifying the

billings as fraudulent (which would have enabled the banks to prevent the Defendants

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from continuing to charge their customers). The Defendants knowingly conspired

together to commit these violations and to benefit financially from this illegal scheme.

310. Defendants’ actions with respect to the products as described above are in

violation of 18 U.S. Code § 1344 and thus constitute unlawful business acts or practices

under the UCL.

Wire Fraud

In Violation Of

18 U.S. Code § 1343

311. The Defendants’ conduct here is unlawful because they have committed

wire fraud and conspired to commit multiple counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.

Code § 1343.

312. Pursuant to 18 U.S. Code § 1343, “[w]hoever, having devised or intending to

devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of

false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, transmits or causes to be

transmitted by means of wire, radio, or television communication in interstate or foreign

commerce, any writings, signs, signals, pictures, or sounds for the purpose of executing

such scheme or artifice” is in violation of the statute.

313. Pursuant to 18 U.S. Code § 1349, “[a]ny person who attempts or conspires to

commit any offense under this chapter shall be subject to the same penalties as those

prescribed for the offense, the commission of which was the object of the attempt or

conspiracy.”

314. The Defendants here conspired to commit wire fraud and to receive money

obtained from wire fraud in violation of federal law.

315. The Defendants transmitted written communications by means of wire as

part of their scheme to defraud, in particular through Internet ads, their websites, through

e-mail, through telephone communications to consumers which were intended to prevent

them from exercising their lawful right to a chargeback, and through telephone or Internet

communications to banks and credit card companies asserting that their subscription

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billings had been agreed to by customers or that their “false front” websites were the site

consumers visited. Those transmissions crossed state lines, at least from New Jersey and

Maine to California and other states.

316. The money obtained by the Defendants through the

trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/ website was obtained fraudulently. As described in this

complaint, the Defendants intentionally used fake news stories and fake endorsements

from celebrities, with the intent that Plaintiff and the Class rely upon them, in order to

obtain their credit card numbers for the purpose of fraudulently billing them for

subscriptions they did not agree to. The Defendants intentionally created “false front”

websites for the purpose of defrauding banks and credit card companies into believing

that customers consented to these subscriptions, when in fact the customers were not even

informed of them. The Defendants knowingly conspired together to commit these

violations and to benefit financially from this illegal scheme.

317. Defendants’ actions with respect to its products as described above are in

violation of 18 U.S. Code § 1343 and thus constitute unlawful business acts or practices

under the UCL.

Mail Fraud

In Violation Of

18 U.S. Code § 1341

318. The Defendants’ conduct here is unlawful because they have committed

mail fraud and conspired to commit multiple counts of mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.

Code § 1341.

319. Pursuant to 18 U.S. Code § 1341, “[w]hoever, having devised or intending to

devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of

false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, or to sell, dispose of, loan,

exchange, alter, give away, distribute, supply, or furnish or procure for unlawful use any

counterfeit or spurious coin, obligation, security, or other article, or anything represented

to be or intimated or held out to be such counterfeit or spurious article, for the purpose of

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executing such scheme or artifice or attempting so to do, places in any post office or

authorized depository for mail matter, any matter or thing whatever to be sent or

delivered by the Postal Service, or deposits or causes to be deposited any matter or thing

whatever to be sent or delivered by any private or commercial interstate carrier, or takes

or receives therefrom, any such matter or thing, or knowingly causes to be delivered by

mail or such carrier according to the direction thereon, or at the place at which it is

directed to be delivered by the person to whom it is addressed, any such matter or thing”

is in violation of the statute.

320. Pursuant to 18 U.S. Code § 1349, “[a]ny person who attempts or conspires to

commit any offense under this chapter shall be subject to the same penalties as those

prescribed for the offense, the commission of which was the object of the attempt or

conspiracy.”

321. The Defendants here conspired to commit mail fraud and to receive money

obtained from mail fraud in violation of federal law.

322. The Defendants transmitted matter or things and took or received matter or

things via the Postal Service or private or commercial interstate carriers as part of their

scheme to defraud, in particular by accepting return packages from the Great Lakes

Fulfillment address in Maine shipped across state lines from other states (including from

the state of California), and by shipping unordered products through the mail system to

victims of the scheme with the intent to fraudulently bill them for those unordered

products.

323. The money obtained by the Defendants through the

trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/ website was obtained fraudulently. As described in this

complaint, the Defendants intentionally used fake news stories and fake endorsements

from celebrities, with the intent that Plaintiff and the Class rely upon them, in order to

obtain their credit card numbers for the purpose of fraudulently billing them for

subscriptions they did not agree to. The Defendants intentionally created “false front”

websites for the purpose of defrauding banks and credit card companies into believing

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that customers consented to these subscriptions, when in fact the customers were not even

informed of them. The Defendants knowingly conspired together to commit these

violations and to benefit financially from this illegal scheme.

324. Defendants’ actions with respect to their products as described above are in

violation of 18 U.S. Code § 1341 and thus constitute unlawful business acts or practices

under the UCL.

Unlawful Violations of Federal Trade Commission Regulations

Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

16 C.F.R. pt. 255, et seq.

325. The Defendants’ acts and practices are unlawful under the California UCL

because they violate Federal regulations governing the use of endorsements and

testimonials in advertising.

326. Pursuant to 16 C.F.R. pt. 255.1(a), “an endorsement may not convey any

express or implied representation that would be deceptive if made directly by the

advertiser.” Under 16 C.F.R. pt. 255(1)(c), “[a]dvertisers are subject to liability for false

or unsubstantiated statements made through endorsements....”

327. The term “endorsement” means “any advertising message (including verbal

statements, demonstrations, or depictions of the name, signature, likeness or other

identifying personal characteristics of an individual or the name or seal of an

organization) that consumers are likely to believe reflects the opinions, beliefs, findings,

or experiences of a party other than the sponsoring advertiser, even if the views expressed

by that party are identical to those of the sponsoring advertiser.” 16 C.F.R. pt. 255(b).

“Endorsement” as used by the regulation means both endorsements and testimonials. Id.

at 255(c).

328. Endorsers include consumers who receive free products from advertisers

through their marketing programs. 16 C.F.R. pt. 255, Example 8. Endorsers also include

third party bloggers who are compensated in any way by advertisers, and advertisers are

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subject to liability for misleading or unsubstantiated representations made by paid

endorsers on their websites. 16 C.F.R. pt. 255.1, Example 5.

329. Under the regulations, advertisers have a duty to train endorsers and to

monitor their statements, and to take necessary steps to halt continued publication of

deceptive representations by endorsers:

“In order to limit its potential liability, the

advertiser should ensure that the advertising service provides guidance and training to its

bloggers concerning the need to ensure that statements they make are truthful and

substantiated. The advertiser should also monitor bloggers who are being paid to promote

its products and take steps necessary to halt the continued publication of deceptive

representations when they are discovered.” 16 C.F.R. pt. 255.1, Example 5.

330. Plaintiff incorporates by reference the Factual Allegations section of this

Complaint.

331. As that section describes, the Defendants faked various endorsements from

celebrities and other third parties who in fact have no connection to the product, have not

used it, and did not make the statements and endorsements the Defendants attributed to

them.

332. Under 16 C.F.R. pt. 255.2(c), “[a]dvertisements presenting endorsements by

what are represented, directly or by implication, to be “actual consumers” should utilize

actual consumers in both the audio and video, or clearly and conspicuously disclose that

the persons in such advertisements are not actual consumers of the advertised product.”

333. The Defendants falsely presented endorsements from celebrities as if those

celebrities were actual consumers, including photographs of those purported celebrity

consumers.

334. Members of the Class were injured by this unlawful conduct and the

violations of these regulations, in that Ms. Adam and the other class members would not

have purchased the products but for the fake endorsements from celebrities which made

the product seem credible.

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335. Defendants’ actions with respect to its endorsers as described above are in

violation of 16 C.F.R. pt. 255, et seq. and thus constitute unlawful business acts or

practices under the UCL.

Unlawful Violations of the

Sherman Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Law

Cal. Health & Safety Code, §§ 109875, et seq.

336. The Defendants’ acts and practices are unlawful under the California UCL

because they violate the Sherman Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Law.

337. The Defendants’ products constitute cosmetics under the Sherman Food,

Drug, & Cosmetic Law. Pursuant to Cal. Health & Safety Code § 109900, a “cosmetic” is

“any article, or its components, intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on,

introduced into, or otherwise applied to, the human body, or any part of the human body,

for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance.” The

Defendants’ products are cosmetics under this definition because they are applied to the

human body in some form, and the products product sold by them are designed to

beautify, promote the attractiveness of, or alter the appearance of skin.

338. The Defendants’ products also constitute drugs under the Sherman Food,

Drug, & Cosmetic Law. Pursuant to Cal. Health & Safety Code § 109925, a “drug”

includes “[a]n article used or intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation,

treatment, or prevention of disease in human beings or any other animal” and “[a]n article

other than food, that is used or intended to affect the structure or any function of the body

of human beings or any other animal.” The Defendants’ products are drugs under this

definition because they are not food and because they are intended to affect the structure

or function of the eyelash and its hair cells, and claim to affect such structure or function.

339. The Defendants’ products also constitute new drugs under the Sherman

Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Law. Pursuant to Cal. Health & Safety Code § 109980, a “new

drug” includes “[a]ny drug the composition of which is such that the drug is not generally

recognized, among experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the

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safety and effectiveness of drugs, as safe and effective for use under the conditions

prescribed, recommended, or suggested in the labeling or advertising thereof,” or one that

“has become so recognized, but that has not, otherwise than in the investigations, been

used to a material extent or for a material time under the conditions.” The Defendants’

products are not generally recognized among experts as being safe and effective for the

conditions they are advertised to treat. Their products use a blend of various ingredients,

and it is that blend—the “composition”—which is at issue.

340. The Defendants’ representations as described in this Complaint constitute

advertisements under the Sherman Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Law. Pursuant to Cal. Health

& Safety Code § 109885, an “advertisement” means “any representations, including, but

not limited to, statements upon the products, its packages, cartons, and any other

container, disseminated in any manner or by any means, for the purpose of inducing, or

that is likely to induce, directly or indirectly, the purchase or use of any food, drug,

device, or cosmetic.” The representations as described herein were likely to induce,

directly or indirectly, the purchase of the Defendants’ products, which constitute drugs

and cosmetics, and they did in fact induce such purchases as described in this Complaint.

The representations were disseminated to the Plaintiffs and the Class using various

means, including advertisements on Snapchat and on the Defendants’ websites.

341. Pursuant to Cal. Health & Safety Code § 110390, “[i]t is unlawful for any

person to disseminate any false advertisement of any food, drug, device, or cosmetic. An

advertisement is false if it is false or misleading in any particular.”

342. Pursuant to Cal. Health & Safety Code § 110395, “[i]t is unlawful for any

person to manufacture, sell, deliver, hold, or offer for sale any food, drug, device, or

cosmetic that is falsely advertised.”

343. The Defendants violated Cal. Health & Safety Code § 110390 and § 110395

by disseminating false and misleading advertisements, as described in detail throughout

this Complaint, and by selling, delivering, and offering for sale their products which were

falsely advertised.

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344. As stated above, Defendants’ products are new drugs under the Sherman

Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Law. See Cal. Health & Safety Code § 109980. New drugs are

subject to specific approval requirements, and “[n]o person shall sell, deliver, or give

away any new drug” unless the statutory requirements are satisfied. Cal. Health & Safety

Code § 111550. One way to satisfy the requirements is that the product is a “new drug,

and a new drug application has been approved for it and that approval has not been

withdrawn, terminated, or suspended under Section 505 of the federal act (21 U.S.C. Sec.

355).” Cal. Health & Safety Code § 111550(a)(1). Another is that “[t]he department has

approved a new drug or device application for that new drug or new device and that

approval has not been withdrawn, terminated, or suspended.” Cal. Health & Safety Code

§ 111550(b). The remaining methods are inapplicable to the Defendants’ products, and

on information and belief, Defendants have failed to satisfy the approval requirements for

a new drug under the Sherman Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Law.

345. In addition to the various forms of harm alleged throughout this complaint,

which Plaintiff incorporates here by reference, this particular violation specifically

harmed Plaintiff and the Class by depriving them of the important and valuable

protections of this statutory scheme, by causing them to purchase products whose

efficacy and safety had not been verified, and by causing them to purchase the products at

issue and pay more for those products than they were worth in the absence of statutory

compliance.

346. Defendants’ actions with respect to its products as described above are in

violation of Cal. Health & Safety Code, §§ 109875, et seq. and thus constitute unlawful

business acts or practices under the UCL.

Unlawful Violations of the

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

21 U.S.C. § 301, et seq.

347. The Defendants’ acts and practices are unlawful under the California UCL

because they violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

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348. The Defendants’ products constitute drugs under the Federal Food, Drug,

and Cosmetic Act. Pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 321(g)(1), a “drug” includes “(C) articles

(other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or

other animals....”

349. The Defendants’ products are advertised as affecting the structure or

function of the human body, and are intended to affect the structure or function of the

human body. The Defendants advertise that their products are an “eyelash enhancement

serum.” They claim that it results in “[e]yelashes from 30 to 50% longer, thicker, and

darker in 6 – 8 weeks.” They also advertise that Nuvega Lash alters the functionality of

the human eyelash as well as its hair cells: “NUVEGALash not only extends the growth

cycle of lashes, but also nourishes and stimulates the hair cells.” They state in the FAQ

on trynuvegalashnow.com that Nuvega Lash can “help strengthen the root of the lash.”

107

The FAQ further states that: “NUVEGALash's unique formula has been designed to help

enhance your natural eyelashes and brows, not only by making them more flexible and

stronger, but by also nourishing them.”

108

350. The Defendants’ products constitute new drugs under the Federal Food,

Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 321(p)(1), a “new drug” includes “[a]ny

drug (except a new animal drug or an animal feed bearing or containing a new animal

drug) the composition of which is such that such drug is not generally recognized, among

experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the safety and

effectiveness of drugs, as safe and effective for use under the conditions prescribed,

recommended, or suggested in the labeling thereof, except that such a drug not so

recognized shall not be deemed to be a “new drug” if at any time prior to June 25, 1938,

it was subject to the Food and Drugs Act of June 30, 1906, as amended, and if at such

time its labeling contained the same representations concerning the conditions of its

use....”

107

FAQ, https://trynuvegalashnow.com/faq.php (last visited Jan. 12, 2020).

108

Id.

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351. The Defendants’ products are not generally recognized among experts as

being safe and effective for the conditions they are advertised to treat. Their products use

a blend of various ingredients, and it is that blend—the “composition”—which is at issue.

Even the effectiveness of the individual ingredients in the Defendants’ products is not

generally recognized, but the composition itself is not even generally known to exist

among experts in this field, let alone generally recognized as effective.

352. Pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 355(a), “No person shall introduce or deliver for

introduction into interstate commerce any new drug, unless an approval of an application

filed pursuant to subsection (b) or (j) is effective with respect to such drug.”

353. On information and belief, the Defendants have not filed a new drug

application or obtained approval of any of their products from the Food and Drug

Administration. As such, it was unlawful for them to introduce or deliver their products

into interstate commerce, and all sales or deliveries of their products in the United States

were unlawful.

354. In addition to the various forms of harm alleged throughout this complaint,

which Plaintiff incorporates here by reference, this particular violation specifically

harmed Plaintiff and the Class by depriving them of the important and valuable

protections of this statutory scheme, by causing them to purchase products whose

efficacy and safety had not been verified, and by causing them to purchase the products at

issue and pay more for those products than they were worth in the absence of statutory

compliance.

355. Defendants’ actions with respect to its products as described above are in

violation of 21 U.S.C. § 301, et seq. and thus constitute unlawful business acts or

practices under the UCL.

Unlawful Violations of the

Federal Trade Commission Act

15 U.S.C. § 41, et seq.

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356. Pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 45(a)(1), “[u]nfair methods of competition in or

affecting commerce, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce,

are hereby declared unlawful.”

357. Pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 52(a), “[i]t shall be unlawful for any person,

partnership, or corporation to disseminate, or cause to be disseminated, any false

advertisement—(1) By United States mails, or in or having an effect upon commerce, by

any means, for the purpose of inducing, or which is likely to induce, directly or indirectly

the purchase of food, drugs, devices, services, or cosmetics; or (2) By any means, for the

purpose of inducing, or which is likely to induce, directly or indirectly, the purchase in or

having an effect upon commerce, of food, drugs, devices, services, or cosmetics.”

358. Defendant’s products are both drugs and cosmetics.

359. As described throughout this Complaint and in the First, Second, and Third

Causes of Action, Defendants engaged in unfair methods of competition in or affecting

commerce, as well as unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce. The

act of selling their products online satisfies the requirement of “in or affecting

commerce.”

360. As described throughout this Complaint and in the First, Second, and Third

Causes of Action, Defendants disseminated false advertisements online and sold their

products online, which satisfies the requirement of “in or affecting commerce.” Those

advertisements were intended to induce and did in fact induce the purchase of

Defendants’ products.

361. Defendants’ actions with respect to its products as described above are in

violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. § 41, et seq. and thus

constitute unlawful business acts or practices under the UCL.

Unlawful Violations of Federal Trade Commission Regulations

Concerning Use of the Word “Free” and Other Similar Representations

16 C.F.R. pt. 251, et seq.

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362. Defendants’ acts and practices are unlawful under the California UCL

because they violate Federal regulations governing the use of the word “free” and other

similar representations in advertising.

363. Pursuant to 16 C.F.R. pt. 251.1(a)(2), “[b]ecause the purchasing public

continually searches for the best buy, and regards the offer of ‘Free’ merchandise or

service to be a special bargain, all such offers must be made with extreme care so as to

avoid any possibility that consumers will be misled or deceived.”

364. “[A] purchaser has a right to believe that the merchant will not directly and

immediately recover, in whole or in part, the cost of the free merchandise or service by

marking up the price of the article which must be purchased, by the substitution of

inferior merchandise or service, or otherwise.” 16 C.F.R. pt. 251.1(b).

365. Because of this right, Federal regulations strictly limit the duration of any

‘free’ offers in any given trade area: “So that a ‘Free’ offer will be special and

meaningful, a single size of a product or a single kind of service should not be advertised

with a ‘Free’ offer in a trade area for more than 6 months in any 12-month period. At

least 30 days should elapse before another such offer is promoted in the same trade area.

No more than three such offers should be made in the same area in any 12-month period.

In such period, the offeror's sale in that area of the product in the size promoted with a

‘Free’ offer should not exceed 50 percent of the total volume of his sales of the product,

in the same size, in the area.”

366. On information and belief, Defendants advertised their false “free trial” or

$0.00 price for more than six months (from late 2016 through at least January 2020), and

100% of the sales were promoted with a “free” offer.

367. Offers labeled as “free” must comply with strict Federal disclosure

regulations: “When making ‘Free’ or similar offers all the terms, conditions and

obligations upon which receipt and retention of the ‘Free’ item are contingent should be

set forth clearly and conspicuously at the outset of the offer so as to leave no reasonable

probability that the terms of the offer might be misunderstood. Stated differently, all of

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the terms, conditions and obligations should appear in close conjunction with the offer of

‘Free’ merchandise or service. For example, disclosure of the terms of the offer set forth

in a footnote of an advertisement to which reference is made by an asterisk or other

symbol placed next to the offer, is not regarded as making disclosure at the outset.” 16

C.F.R. pt. 251.1(c).

368. Defendants failed to comply with these requirements to clearly and

conspicuously disclose all terms, conditions, and obligations at the outset because on the

trynuvegalashnow.com/v2/ website, the terms were not disclosed, false representations

that the products would cost $0.00 were made, and any disclosure of a subscription was

buried on another web page in a lengthy terms of service.

369. Defendants’ actions with respect to its use of the word “free” as described

above are in violation of 16 C.F.R. pt. 251, et seq. and thus constitute unlawful business

acts or practices under the UCL.

Unlawful Violations of Federal Law Governing

Negative Option Marketing On The Internet

15 U.S.C. § 8403, et seq.

370. Pursuant to 16 C.F.R. § 310.2, “[n]egative option feature means, in an offer

or agreement to sell or provide any goods or services, a provision under which the

customer's silence or failure to take an affirmative action to reject goods or services or to

cancel the agreement is interpreted by the seller as acceptance of the offer.”

371. Defendants utilize negative option features on their websites, offers, and

agreements to sell their products because they purport to sign consumers up for a “free

trial,” and then interpret that as acceptance of a paid subscription if the consumer does

not cancel shortly thereafter.

372. Pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 8403, “[i]t shall be unlawful for any person to

charge or attempt to charge any consumer for any goods or services sold in a transaction

effected on the Internet through a negative option feature (as defined in the Federal Trade

Commission’s Telemarketing Sales Rule in part 310 of title 16, Code of Federal

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Regulations), unless the person—(1) provides text that clearly and conspicuously

discloses all material terms of the transaction before obtaining the consumer’s billing

information; (2) obtains a consumer’s express informed consent before charging the

consumer’s credit card, debit card, bank account, or other financial account for products

or services through such transaction; and (3) provides simple mechanisms for a consumer

to stop recurring charges from being placed on the consumer’s credit card, debit card,

bank account, or other financial account.”

373. Defendants failed to follow any of these requirements, and in fact made it as

difficult as possible to cancel the subscription, as described herein.

374. Defendants’ actions with respect to its products as described above are in

violation of Federal law governing negative option marketing on the Internet, 15 U.S.C. §

8403, et seq. and thus constitute unlawful business acts or practices under the UCL.

Injury from Defendants’ Unlawful Actions

375. To extend that the unlawful conduct described above was based on

misrepresentations, deception, or omission, Defendants knew, or by the exercise of

reasonable care should have known, that their representations and omissions were untrue

and misleading, and deliberately made the aforementioned representations and omissions

in order to deceive reasonable consumers like Plaintiff and other Class Members.

376. As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ unlawful conduct and unfair

competition, Plaintiff and the other Class Members have suffered injury in fact and have

lost money or property, time, and attention. Plaintiff reasonably relied upon Defendants’

representations regarding their products. In reasonable reliance on Defendants’ false

representations, and as a result of Defendants’ unlawful conduct and unfair competition,

Plaintiff and other Class Members purchased the products at issue and paid more for

those products than they would have had they been aware that Defendants’

representations were false or had the Defendants not engaged in the unlawful and unfair

conduct described herein. Plaintiff and other Class Members ended up with Products that

were overpriced, inaccurately marketed, and did not have the characteristics, qualities, or

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value promised by Defendants, and therefore Plaintiff and other Class Members have

suffered injury in fact.

377. As purchasers and consumers of Defendants’ Products, and as members of

the general public who purchased and used the Products and have suffered injury in fact

and lost money and property as a result of this unfair competition and unlawful conduct,

Plaintiff and the Class are entitled to and bring this class action seeking all available

remedies under the UCL.

378. The unfair and unlawful competitive practices described herein present a