Hillsborough County, Florida - A Hillsborough County woman, Cynthia Kelly, has filed a class-action lawsuit against The Hershey Company, alleging false and deceptive advertising practices regarding its Reese's Peanut Butter products. The lawsuit, filed in Florida's Middle District Court, accuses Hershey's of violating the state's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The lawsuit specifically focuses on several Reese's Peanut Butter products, including Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins, Reese's Peanut Butter Ghosts, Reese's Peanut Butter Bats, Reese's Peanut Butter Footballs, and Reese's Peanut Butter Shapes Assortment Snowmen, Stockings, and Bells. The issue at hand does not revolve around the taste of these products but rather concerns their appearance.

According to the complaint, Kelly claims that the Reese's Peanut Butter products were falsely portrayed as having explicit carved-out artistic designs on their packaging when, in reality, no such carvings exist on the actual products. For instance, Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins depict carved-out eyes and mouth on the label, giving them a jack-o-lantern appearance. However, the actual product lacks these carvings.

In the lawsuit, Kelly argues that many consumers have been tricked and misled by the images displayed on the Reese's Peanut Butter product packaging. The lawsuit includes links to multiple YouTube reviews where individuals express disappointment and frustration upon realizing the disparity between the depicted carvings and the actual product.

The lawsuit claims that Hershey's intentionally changed the packaging design to boost sales and revenues, asserting that the packaging had not always been deceptive and misleading. Kelly alleges that she purchased a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins for approximately $4.49 at an Aldi's store in Hillsborough County. She later discovered that the product did not have the detailed carvings she expected, and stated that she would not have made the purchase had she known the true appearance of the Reese's.

The class-action lawsuit seeks to represent all consumers within the state of Florida who purchased the allegedly misleading Reese's products. If approved by a judge, the class-action status would allow these consumers to join the lawsuit and seek potential compensation for their grievances.

The Hershey Company has not yet issued a public response to the lawsuit. Legal proceedings will now progress as the court weighs the merits of the claims and determines whether the case can proceed as a class-action lawsuit.