Kirstie Alley sued for false advertising over weight-loss program

By Nardine Saad

July 25, 2012 12 AM PT

Kirstie Alley is facing a class-action lawsuit claiming that the dramatic weight loss touted by the “Dancing With the Stars” celeb did not come merely from her using her weight-loss program but rather from an extreme diet and exercise regimen, including while she was on the reality show.

The false and misleading advertisement lawsuit was filed by Marina Abramyan, a dieter who used the Organic Liaison program, who claims that the Florida-based company and Alley engaged in “nothing more than a healthy deception.”

Kirstie Alley’s Organic Liaison is a line of weight loss products Alley, 61, helped develop and fronted on QVC and in ads that she says helped her lose a dramatic amount of weight. It is meant to “liaise” dieters off their bad eating habits and on to more organic options.

“I’ve lost 100 pounds, and I’m down to a size 6 and still counting ... thanks to Organic Liaison,” Alley said in one ad, and “I can assure you that if you follow this program, you’ll get healthier, lose weight and not be ‘annoyingly’ hungry.”

Abramyan bought the product, which includes tablets, and used them as directed but didn’t “experience any of the benefits defendants advertised,” according to her suit, filed Friday. She and those who may join her in the lawsuit are seeking unspecified damages and an injunction to get the company to stop using Alley’s before-and-after photos demonstrating her 100-pound slim-down.

“Ms. Alley’s weight loss is not due to the Organic Liaison Program but rather is the result of an above average exercise regimen and extremely low calorie diet, including her time on the television program ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ where she spent five to seven hours a day exercising as part of the competition,” the suit alleges. “In peddling the Organic Liaison Program, Ms. Alley attributes her weight loss to the program, but in reality, Ms. Alley’s weight loss is due to nothing more than the tried and true concept of diet and exercise.

“Defendants planned and participated in and furthered a common scheme by means of false, misleading, and deceptive representations to induce members of the public to purchase the Organic Liaison Weight Loss Program.”

Alley, who at one time starred in her own reality TV series called “Fat Actress,” has battled her yoyoing weight publicly for years and has also been a spokeswoman for the Jenny Craig weight-loss program.

Alley’s camp said that the lawsuit’s claims are “patently false.”

Organic Liaison also maintains that the actress spent a year and a half on the program. Alley had already dropped 70 pounds before “Dancing With the Stars” started and lost 20 pounds more during her time on Season 12 of the ABC competition; she lost 100 pounds “months after” the show was over because of her “studious adherence” to the weight-loss program, according to their statement.

“We will vigorously defend ourselves against these frivolous claims,” the company said.

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