Lytle v. Nutramax Laboratories, Inc. et al

A court authorized the Notice because you have the right to know about the Settlement of this class action lawsuit, and about all, of your rights and options before the Court decides whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. The Notice explains the lawsuit, the Settlement, your legal rights, what Settlement benefits are available, who is eligible for them, and how to get them.

The Honorable Fernando M. Olguin of the United States District Court for the Central District of California is overseeing this class action. The lawsuit is known as Justin Lytle and Christine Musthaler v. Nutramax Laboratories, Inc. and Nutramax Laboratories Veterinary Sciences, Inc., Case No. 5:19-cv-00835. The people who filed this lawsuit are called “Plaintiffs”, and the companies sued, Nutramax Laboratories, Inc. and Nutramax Laboratories Veterinary Sciences, Inc., are “Defendants”.

Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit against Defendants on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, alleging that Defendants misrepresented the benefits and effectiveness of certain canine supplements branded under the name Cosequin® both in advertising and packaging. The lawsuit includes Cosequin®-branded dog supplements purchased for personal use between May 3, 2016, and May 6, 2022.

Defendants deny the legal claims and deny any wrongdoing or liability. The Court has not made any determination of any wrongdoing by Defendants or that any law has been violated. Instead, Plaintiffs and Defendants have agreed to a settlement to avoid the risk, cost, and time of continuing the lawsuit.

In a class action, one or more people called Class Representatives sue on behalf of other people who have similar legal claims. Together, the people are a class or class members. One court resolves the issues for all class members, except for those class members who timely exclude themselves (opt out) from the class.

Plaintiffs and Defendants do not agree about the legal claims made in this lawsuit. The lawsuit has not gone to trial, and the Court has not decided in favor of the Plaintiffs or Defendants. Instead, Plaintiffs and Defendants have agreed to settle the lawsuit. The Class Representatives and their lawyers believe the Settlement is best of Class Members because of the Settlement benefits available and the risks and uncertainty associated with continuing the lawsuit.

You are a Class Member if the following Class definition applies to you: all persons residing in California who purchased qualifying canine Cosequin® products for personal use between May 3, 2016, and May 6, 2022. The qualifying canine Cosequin® products are Cosequin® DS Maximum Strength Chewable Tablets; Cosequin® DS Maximum Strength Plus MSM Chewable Tablets; Cosequin® Maximum Strength Plus MSM Chewable Tablets; Cosequin® with MSM Chewable Tablets; Cosequin® DS Maximum Strength Plus MSM Soft Chews; Cosequin® Maximum Strength Plus MSM Soft Chews; and Cosequin® with MSM Soft Chews. “Products for personal use” means products purchased for household use by an animal or pet, and not for resale or other business purpose.

Excluded from the Class are: (a) Nutramax and its officers, directors, agents, or affiliates; (b) Nutramax’s past and present employees; and (c) the judge who presides over the case.

Cosequin® Products included in the settlement:

• Cosequin® DS Maximum Strength Chewable Tablets;
• Cosequin® DS Maximum Strength Plus MSM Chewable Tablets;
• Cosequin® Maximum Strength Plus MSM Chewable Tablets;
• Cosequin® with MSM Chewable Tablets;
• Cosequin® Maximum Strength Plus MSM Soft Chews;
• Cosequin® with MSM Soft Chews;
• Cosequin® DS Maximum Strength Plus MSM Soft Chews.

If you are still not sure whether you are a Class Member, you can call toll-free at 1- 888-899-7783.

As a result of the Settlement, Defendants have agreed to create a Settlement Fund of $11,500,000. Settlement Payments from the Settlement Fund will be paid to each Class Member who submits a valid and timely Claim Form.

Class Members who submit a timely and valid Claim Form are eligible for a Settlement Payment of $25 per unit of Cosequin® Products purchased between May 3, 2016, and May 6, 2022, up to a maximum of $150.

The $11.5 million settlement fund shall be used to meet the monetary obligations to Class Members, pay all settlement payments thereto, pay service awards, and pay the Fee and Expense Award ordered by the Court after submission of the Fee and Expense Application by Class Counsel. If the total amount of Valid Claims is more than what remains of the Settlement Fund after removing the attorneys’ Fee and Expense Award and service awards, then the Settlement Payment for each Class Member will be reduced on a pro rata (a legal term meaning equal) basis.

Defendants are also required to remove the following statements on future packaging for the Cosequin® Products:

1. “Mobility, Cartilage and Joint Health Support”.
2. “Supports Mobility for a Healthy Lifestyle”; and
3. “Use Cosequin to help your pet Climb stairs, Rise and Jump!”

Unless you exclude yourself (opt out), you will remain in the Class. If the Settlement is approved and becomes final, all the Court’s orders and judgments will apply to you and legally bind you. You will not be able to sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against Defendants and the Released Parties about the legal claims in this lawsuit that are released by the Settlement Agreement. The rights you are giving up are called “Released Claims.”

Section 9 of the Settlement Agreement describes the Releases, Released Claims, and Released Parties, in necessary legal terminology, so please read this section carefully. The Settlement Agreement is available here. For questions regarding the Releases, Released Claims, or Released Parties and what the language in the Settlement Agreement means, you can also contact Class Counsel listed below for free, or you can talk to your own lawyer at your own expense.

You must submit a timely and valid Claim Form to receive a Settlement Payment as described above. Your Claim Form must be submitted online by JULY 21, 2026, or mailed to the Settlement Administrator at the address on the Claim Form, postmarked by JULY 21, 2026. Claim Forms are also available here or by calling 1- 888-899-7783 or by writing to:

Lytle v. Nutramax Laboratories, Inc. et al.
Settlement Administrator
PO Box 3167
Portland, OR 97208-3167

If you change your mailing address or email address after you submit a Claim Form, it is your responsibility to inform the Settlement Administrator of your updated information. You may notify the Settlement Administrator of any changes at:

Lytle v. Nutramax Laboratories, Inc. et al.
Settlement Administrator
PO Box 3167
Portland, OR 97208-3167

If you submit a timely and valid Claim Form, your Settlement Payment will be provided after the Settlement is approved by the Court and becomes final.

It may take time for the Settlement to be approved and become final. Please be patient and check this website for updates.

Yes, the Court has appointed Adam A. Edwards of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC, and Matthew D. Schultz of Levin, Papantonio, Proctor, Buchanan, O’Brien, Barr & Mougey P.A. as Class Counsel to represent you and the Class for the purposes of this Settlement. You will not be charged for Class Counsel. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

Class Counsel will file a motion asking the Court to award attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of costs not to exceed 33% of the Settlement Fund. Class Counsel will also ask the Court to approve service awards for the Class Representatives of up to $7,500 for their efforts. If awarded by the Court, attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of costs and the service awards will be paid from the Settlement Fund. The Court may award less than these amounts.

Class Counsel’s motion for the attorneys’ Fee and Expense Award, and service awards, will be made available after it is filed with the Court.

EXCLUDING YOURSELF FROM THE SETTLEMENT

If you do not want a Settlement Payment from this Settlement, but you instead want to keep the right to sue or continue to sue Defendants and the Released Parties on your own about the legal claims in this lawsuit, then you must take steps to get out of the Settlement. This is called excluding yourself from—or “opting out” of—the Settlement.

To exclude yourself from the Settlement, you must have mailed or emailed a written request for exclusion postmarked by June 22, 2026. The deadline to exclude yourself has now passed.

No. If you timely opt out, you will not be entitled to receive a Settlement Payment, and you will not be bound by the Settlement or any judgment in this lawsuit. You can only get a Settlement Payment if you stay in the Settlement and submit a timely and valid Claim Form.

No. Unless you opt out, you give up any right to sue any of the Released Parties for the legal claims this Settlement resolves and Releases, and you will be bound by all the terms of the Settlement, proceedings, orders, and judgments in the lawsuit. You must opt out of this lawsuit to start or continue with your own lawsuit or be part of any other lawsuit against the Released Parties about the Released Claims in this Settlement. If you have a pending lawsuit, speak to your lawyer in that lawsuit immediately.

If you are a Class Member, you can tell the Court you do not agree with all or any part of the Settlement and/or the attorneys’ Fee and Expense Award and service awards.

To object, you must have filed your written objection with the Court by JUNE 22, 2026 in Justin Lytle and Christine Musthaler v. Nutramax Laboratories, Inc. and Nutramax Laboratories Veterinary Sciences, Inc., Case No. 5:19-cv-00835. The deadline to object to this settlement has now passed.

Notice of Intention to Appear:

If you are a Class Member and you filed a timely objection, at the Court’s discretion, you may appear at the Fairness Hearing.

• To appear, you must file a Notice of Intention to Appear with the Court.
• Your Notice of Intention to Appear must be filed with the Court by JULY 27, 2026, at the address below.

Your Notice of Intention to Appear must include:

• Your full name, address, telephone number and email address (if any); and
• If you are represented by a lawyer, your lawyer’s name, email address, mailing address, and telephone number.

Objecting is simply telling the Court you do not like something about the Settlement. Requesting exclusion (opting out) is telling the Court you do not want to be part of the Class or the Settlement. If you exclude yourself, you cannot object to the Settlement.

The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing on AUGUST 13, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. before the Honorable Fernando M. Olguin in Courtroom 6D, First Street U.S. Courthouse, 350 W. 1st Street, Suite 4311, Los Angeles, CA 90012. At this hearing, the Court will consider whether the Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate, and decide whether to approve the Settlement, Class Counsel’s attorneys’ Fee and Expense Award, and service awards.

If there are objections that were filed by the deadline the Court will consider them. If you file a timely, written objection, and you would like to speak at the hearing, you must indicate in your written objection that you wish to speak at the Fairness Hearing.

Note:

The date and time of the Fairness Hearing are subject to change without further notice to the Class. The Court may also decide to hold the hearing via video conference or by telephone. You should check this Website to confirm the date and time of the Fairness Hearing have not changed.

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. However, you are welcome to attend at your own expense. If you file an objection, you do not have to attend the Fairness Hearing to speak about it. As long as you file your written objection by the deadline, the Court will consider it.

Yes, at the Court’s discretion, as long as you do not exclude yourself (opt out) and you file a timely written objection and a Notice of Intention to Appear requesting to speak at the hearing, you can (but do not have to) participate and speak for yourself at the Fairness Hearing. This is called making an appearance. You can also have your own lawyer speak for you, but you will have to pay for the lawyer yourself.

If you want to appear, or if you want your own lawyer instead of Class Counsel to speak for you at the hearing, you must follow all of the procedures for objecting and file a Notice of Intention to Appear as listed above—and specifically include a statement whether you or your lawyer will appear at the Fairness Hearing.

If you are a Class Member and you do nothing, you will not receive a Settlement Payment. You will give up your right to start a lawsuit, continue with a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against the Released Parties about the legal claims that are released by the Settlement and you will be bound by all the terms of the Settlement, proceedings, orders, and judgments in the lawsuit.

This website summarizes the Settlement. Complete details about the Settlement are provided in the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement and other related documents are available here. You may get additional information by calling toll-free 1- 888-899-7783, or by writing to:

Lytle v. Nutramax Laboratories, Inc. et al.
Settlement Administrator
PO Box 3167
Portland, OR 97208-3167

PLEASE DO NOT TELEPHONE THE COURT OR THE COURT CLERK’S OFFICE REGARDING THIS NOTICE