Two California residents have filed a class action lawsuit against WW International Inc. (Weight Watchers) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, accusing the company of running deceptive advertising campaigns involving fake limited-time sales to lure consumers into signing up for multimonth memberships.
The plaintiffs, Marlayne Berger of Banning, California, and Darren Todd of Fortuna, California, allege that Weight Watchers falsely advertised “limited-time” offers with fabricated expiration dates and misleading discounts. They contend that they were duped into purchasing memberships under the false belief that they were taking advantage of significant price reductions. Instead, they discovered that the discounts were, in fact, ongoing and not limited in any way.
The plaintiffs claim that the so-called “limited-time offers” advertised by Weight Watchers never actually ended. They argue that the company consistently promotes what appear to be temporary discounts, which are, in reality, available at all times. The lawsuit seeks to represent both a nationwide class and a California subclass of consumers who purchased multimonth memberships under these false pretenses.
Allegations of False Advertising and Deceptive Practices
According to the lawsuit, Weight Watchers employed deceptive sales tactics, including the use of fake regular prices and discounts, as well as advertisements for “limited-time” sales that extended beyond their purported end dates. For example, the plaintiffs point to a “Cyber Week” sale in December 2024, which claimed to offer a 60% discount for a 10-month membership, yet the same sale continued days later with identical pricing.
The lawsuit also references the use of fake regular prices, such as in September 2024, when Weight Watchers advertised a purported regular rate of $23 per month, alongside a supposed discounted rate of $11. The plaintiffs argue that these regular prices were inflated, and the supposed discounts were either non-existent or minimal.
Consumer Harm and Legal Violations
The plaintiffs assert that the fraudulent advertising practices violate several California laws, including the False Advertising Law, the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, and the Unfair Competition Law. They also claim breach of contract, misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment.
According to the complaint, these deceptive practices have harmed consumers by misleading them into believing they are receiving special discounts, thereby driving up demand for Weight Watchers’ memberships. This, the plaintiffs argue, allows the company to charge a premium for memberships, which would not be possible without the false advertising.
Seeking Justice for Consumers
Marlayne Berger and Darren Todd seek compensation for themselves and other affected consumers, as well as an injunction to stop Weight Watchers from continuing its alleged misleading sales practices.
The plaintiffs are represented by Christin Cho and Simon Franzini of Dovel & Luner LLP. Weight Watchers has yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit.
