FTC supplements settlement

Gero Vita International and six related defendants are required to pay monetary judgments of $605,000 after settling Federal Trade Commission charges related to deceptive marketing practices, FTC reports June 8. The defendants, including dietary supplement direct marketer Almon Glenn Braswell, claimed their products could cure or treat illnesses and conditions such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and obesity, the agency says. FTC originally filed the complaint in May 2003 (1"The Tan Sheet" June 2, 2003, p. 13). The defendants are barred from making future misleading product claims in addition to the fines. The $605,000 settlement resulted from the suspension of a $30 mil. judgment based on the defendants' inability to pay. However, the defendants will have to pay the total $30 mil. if they misrepresented their financial condition or Braswell does business with any other defendant, FTC says...