New York man sues Liver King for ‘misleading’ consumers about nutrition

Brian Burns / December 26,2022

 

‘Liver King’ Brian Johnson has tricked customers into buying his supplements by claiming he achieved his toned physique on a raw liver diet – when in fact he was using steroids, a new $25 million class action lawsuit will dollars raised.

The fitness influencer admitted earlier this month that his muscular physique was more likely achieved through an expensive steroid cycle than the original lifestyle he’s peddling.

Now New Yorker Christopher Altomare has filed a lawsuit against the bodybuilder and his companies – Ancestral Supplements, LLC and The Fittest Ever, LLC – for allegedly enticing consumers into buying his products.

Johnson touted his Nine Ancestral lifestyle — including the Eat tenet, which promotes eating raw liver and testicles — by appearing “consistently” shirtless to “show off his muscular physique” and “identifying himself as the epitome of health,” the Manhattan Supreme Court said in a lawsuit.

In reality, his brand contained “a dangerous and life-threatening diet” that caused “a large proportion of consumers” to suffer from “serious” food-borne illnesses, the lawsuit alleges Wednesday.

And the diet — which pushes liver, spleen, pancreas, heart, kidney, raw bull testicles and raw sweetbreads — was unsustainable for consumers, forcing them to buy Johnson’s supplements, the lawsuit says.

“Liver King convinced millions of consumers to adhere or adhere to the Eat Principle by repeatedly telling consumers that his near-perfect physique and optimal health is solely due to his adoption of ancestry, principally the Eat Principle , are attributable,” the suit laments.

Johnson – who started posting on Instagram in August 2021 and has since amassed over 1.7million followers – has swore to his rigorous training and “modern caveman” diet as the secret to his jacked physique.

He had previously denied taking any performance-enhancing drugs.

But in late November, a fitness journalist released a YouTube video that revealed emails Johnson had exchanged with another bodybuilder in which he admitted he was taking $11,000 worth of steroids a month.

In response, Johnson apologized for the lie in a December 1 video, admitting, “Yes, I was on steroids. And yes, I’m on steroids.”

Altomare said in the lawsuit that he bought into Johnson’s “cult-like” brand and purchased its products after learning about the influencer’s “deceptive consumer-facing behavior, including… [his] misrepresentations and omissions.”

He and other consumers would have continued to purchase Johnson’s products “had it not been for the discovery of defendant Liver King’s steroid use,” the filing says.

Johnson and his companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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