Mark Schotte, of Beverly, is suing The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, headquartered in Quincy, for falsely advertising wet wipes as "flushable," according to court documents filed on Wednesday, April 26.
The suit claims that Stop & Shop sold wipes labeled as "flushable" at a premium price when compared to toilet paper, but that the wipes do not break apart in a reasonable period of time, and instead can cause clogs or other sewage damage.
The packaging for Stop & Shop branded cleansing wipes and Always My Baby-branded flushable cleansing wipes both prominently claim to be flushable, the suit alleges. The backs of the products have language inconsistent with the flushable claim, but the text is small and under a flap in the packaging.
"No reasonable consumer would even notice the disclaimer at all, given its location, print size, and color. And the disclaimer is vague to the point of uselessness because the Wipes should not be flushed at all," the suit said.
Schotte is seeking a jury trial and compensatory, statutory, and punitive damages in amounts to be determined by the court, as well as other costs including attorney fees.
James J. Reardon, Junior, and Matthew A. Girardi are handling Schotte's suit.
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