PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal judge in Connecticut has dismissed a lawsuit that accuses Poland Spring’s parent company of selling water that’s sourced from wells, not springs.
Charles Broll, general counsel for Nestle Waters North America, praised the judge’s decision late last week to dismiss the “meritless lawsuit.”
Stamford, Connecticut-based Nestle Waters North America contends the matter was already litigated in 2003 in Illinois and that a federal court can’t pre-empt a state court. That case ended with a $12 million settlement and Poland Spring continuing to tout “100 percent natural spring water.”
Poland Spring says its product meets the FDA’s definition that allows a bottling company to call its product “spring water” if it is drawn from the same source as a natural spring and meets certain requirements for chemical composition.