• by Erik Oster , April 25, 2024

Controversial influencer and Prime Hydration co-founder Logan Paul shared a video yesterday responding to one of the lawsuits filed against the company over the course of the past nine months.

In the video, Paul addresses a lawsuit related to per- and polyfluoralkyl (PFAs) “forever chemicals” allegedly present in Prime’s Grape hydration drink.

The consumer class action lawsuit, filed last August by a California woman named Elizabeth Castillo in Northern California District Court, alleges that independent testing found the flavor to contain eight different PFAs in “significant” amounts. The complaint also contends the brand marketed the brand “targeting health-conscious consumers who reasonably believe that the Product… is free from ingredients which are known to be harmful to human health.”

“First off, anybody can sue anyone at any time,” Paul says at the opening of the video, “That does not make the lawsuit true, and in this case, it is not.”

In his response, Paul questions the “significant” assertion, claiming the levels state in the lawsuit do not exceed FDA guidelines. He also claims that the chemicals found “come from the plastic,” used to package the beverage, not the drink itself, contending, “We use the top bottle manufacturers in the United States,” –  the same companies, he claims, used by “all” large beverage companies.

Paul did not address allegations stemming from a pair of other consumer class action lawsuits targeting the Prime Energy brand. Those lawsuits allege that Prime Energy knowingly marketed its product to children, despite health risks posed by high levels of caffeine, and that caffeine levels present in the drink exceeded those reported in the brand’s packaging and marketing. This was also the subject of congressional scrutiny last year, when Senator Chuck Schumer called on the FDA to investigate Prime over its 200 mg caffeine content and social media marketing he said targeted children under 18.

According to a consumer class action lawsuit filed earlier this month, the 200 mg caffeine figure is actually an undercount. Laura Vera filed the case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on April 8. According to court documents, Prime Hydration, LLC was served with a summons on April 19, with a response due by May 10.

A separate class action lawsuit was filed last September in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky Louisville Division (T.K. v. Prime Hydration LLC, et al.) against both the company and its founders: Paul and Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, primarily known as  “KSI.” The lawsuit alleges that Prime and its founders knowingly employed “youth-oriented marketing,” designed to appeal to “Gen Z” and “Gen Alpha” audiences, and “convince reasonable consumers that the Product is a healthy hydration drink,” despite being aware of health risks associated with high caffeine consumption in underage consumers.