State sues seller of ‘Bust Tea’

SEATTLE – A company that sells lotions, creams, pills and a tea as breast enhancement products over the Internet has been sued by the Washington state attorney general’s office.

Announcing the case Wednesday, Attorney General Christine O. Gregoire said Nature’s Advantage, of Arlington, owned by Vaughn Wolfe, made unsubstantiated claims in marketing “Bust Tea” and other Herbal Breast Advantage products, especially to teenagers.

“This case is important because of the misrepresentations about effectiveness of the products and because of the potential health threat for a vulnerable population,” Gregoire said.

According to the lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court, the products are advertised as offering “95 percent chance of breast growth and-or lifting, firming, shaping, etc. at some level” and contain hormones that have not been tested as safe, despite company claims that the products contained no hormones.

The company also claimed that “clinical studies” showed the products were effective despite the absence of “any clinical studies or data, or any controlled tests, analyses, research, studies or other scientific evidence,” the state asserted.

The state asked that Wolfe and his company be barred from engaging in deceptive business practices and be ordered to pay civil penalties plus lawyer fees and other costs.

Griffith Flaherty, identified by Gregoire’s office as Wolfe’s lawyer, did not respond to a telephone call and e-mail messages from the Seattle Times on Wednesday.

No consumers have complained to the state about Nature’s Advantage, assistant attorney general Paula L. Selis said.

“This is precisely the kind of case where consumers are not disposed to filing complaints,” Selis said.