The CEO of Real Water has apologized after a man suffered liver failure and had to undergo a transplant apparently from drinking the product as the Food and Drink Administration announced it has launched a probe and lawsuits start to pile up against the firm.
Brent Jones, the company’s founder and president, released a video Tuesday to ‘personally apologize’ to the brand’s customers after it has been potentially tied to several cases of illnesses in adults and children in Nevada.
The FDA said Friday it had been alerted to five cases of acute non-viral hepatitis in infants and children in November 2020 where the ‘only common link’ was found to be the ‘alkaline water products’.
The agency launched an investigation and warned that people should not drink, cook with, sell, or serve Real Water.
Jones announced he was pulling the brand from the shelves of retailers and issued a voluntary recall to customers.
Since then, at least four lawsuits have been filed in Clark County District Court from consumers who said they fell ill after drinking the product.
Brent Jones, the CEO of Real Water, has apologized after a man suffered liver failure and had to undergo a transplant apparently from drinking the product as the Food and Drink Administration announced it has launched a probe and lawsuits start to pile up
‘First, we’d like to express our deepest sympathy and concern over the events that led to the inquiry,’ Jones said in the video.
‘We started Real Water with the intention to provide a healthy product that benefits and elevates people’s lifestyles. We are deeply saddened to learn that anything otherwise could be the result.’
The former Nevada legislator described the recall as ‘deeply concerning’ and said the company is fully cooperating with the FDA probe.
‘This recall is deeply concerning because you should never have any worry about the safety of any of our products,’ he said.
‘As the majority owner and offender of Real Water I want you to know that I stand behind every product we sell and safety will always be our top priority.
‘I want to personally apologize to our customers and I assure you that the lessons learned will drive further improvements in the brand.’
Jones pointed out that all the incidents of illness are connected to its Las Vegas home and office delivery but that the company had issued a voluntary nationwide recall ‘until the safety of our product is clearly established.’
Real Water, which is based in Las Vegas, also posted a notice on its website saying the company was notified last week about the potential ties to illnesses.
The FDA said Friday it had been alerted to five cases of acute non-viral hepatitis in infants and children in the state of Nevada in November 2020 where the ‘only common link’ was found to be the ‘alkaline water products’
The agency launched an investigation and warned that people should not drink, cook with, sell, or serve Real Water
Jones’ apology comes as lawsuits are starting to pile up against the brand in the wake of the launch of the FDA probe.
Five people filed a joint suit in Las Vegas Monday against Real Water maker Affinity Lifestyles.com, as well as major retailers Whole Foods Market, Costco Wholesale and Terrible Herbst which sold the products.
The suit claims the five people all fell ill after drinking Real Water.
Perhaps the most damning claim is that one man suffered liver failure and had to undergo a liver transplant after drinking the alkaline water.
The suit says Myles Hunwardsen was diagnosed with acute liver failure in 2019 and was airlifted to UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital for a transplant.
One of the other claimants Miriam Brody says she was treated for liver failure at Henderson Hospital back in November 2018.
The three other claimants, Jazmin Schaffer, Tina Hartshorn and Christina Sosa, were also treated for liver illnesses after drinking the water, resulting in medical bills of at least $300,000, the suit states.
The suit says ‘had the Plaintiffs known the truth — i.e., that Defendants’ bottled water contained elevated levels of toxins that would cause severe liver damage, rendering them unsafe for consumption — Plaintiffs would not have purchased them.’
This suit marks the fourth filed against the brand within the last week, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Three California women filed a federal class-action complaint in Las Vegas, a man filed a case in Clark County after being treated at an urgent care center earlier this month and two parents filed a suit claiming they and their infant son, 2, fell ill after drinking the water.
It is not yet clear if more people will join the class-action suit.
At least four lawsuits have been filed in Clark County District Court in the last week from consumers who said they fell ill after drinking the product. Five people filed a joint suit Monday against Real Water maker Affinity Lifestyles.com, as well as major retailers Whole Foods Market, Costco Wholesale and Terrible Herbst which sold the products
The FDA announced Friday it was investigating a number of reports of acute non-viral hepatitis in the state of Nevada tied to the consumption of Real Water.
It said it had been made aware of five cases of acute non-viral hepatitis that had resulted in acute liver failure in infants and children in November 2020 with all five patients hospitalized as a result.
The agency said the alkaline water brand was the ‘only common link’ and that the evidence so far suggested it ‘may be the cause of the illnesses’.
It urged people not to drink, cook with, sell or serve the product.
Real Water said it was asking retailers to remove the product from shelves or return it to the distributors and asking customers to return the product while the investigation is ongoing.
Real Water is marketed as ‘a premium, drinking water with 9.0 pH that utilizes the proprietary E2 Technology, making it the only drinking water on the market that can maintain a stable negative ionization’.
The alkaline water is said to come with a number of health benefits and claims to be ‘the healthiest drinking water available.’
Alkaline water is not typically known to cause liver problems. It has a higher pH than regular drinking water making it less acidic but there is much debate about its alleged health benefits.
The alkaline water is said to come with a number of health benefits and claims to be ‘the healthiest drinking water available’
