A Missouri chiropractor facing $500 billion in fines for “deceptively” promoting vitamins against COVID-19 has agreed to pay an $80,000 civil penalty to end the government’s legal action against him.
The agreement follows an order issued by a St. Louis federal court judge on July 19, awarding “partial summary judgment to the government.”
“Consumers have a right to receive truthful information when deciding whether to purchase products,” said Brian Boynton, the principal deputy assistant attorney general and head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, announcing the agreement on Aug. 3.
“This is especially important when claims about those products could affect how consumers seek to protect themselves during a pandemic.”
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), nutritional supplement company Quickwork and one of its managers Dr. Eric Nepute, a licensed chiropractor, agreed to the injunctions and to pay civil penalties to resolve the government lawsuit.
In the original April 2021 complaint, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleged Quickwork and Dr. Nepute “deceptively” marketed vitamin D3, zinc, and other nutritional supplements as a treatment and preventative for COVID-19.
The government alleged the defendants claimed these supplements provided equal or better protection than COVID-19 vaccines, which have come under increasing public scrutiny following reports of sudden deaths and injury.
Such advertising claims, the government alleged, were misleading, unsubstantiated, and violated the Federal Trade Commission Act and the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, according to the DOJ statement.
“The complaint also alleged that the defendants had mischaracterized the results of scientific studies to support some of their claims,” the statement added.
On Nov. 14, 2022, Quickwork agreed to an injunction and a $1 million civil penalty, “partially suspended due to an inability to pay.”
“On July 19, the court granted partial summary judgment against Dr. Nepute, finding that there was no reasonable basis in the record to support claims that zinc can treat or prevent COVID-19 or that vitamin D or zinc provides equal or better protection ... than the available COVID-19 vaccines.
Dr. Nepute agreed to pay $80,000 in civil penalties and refrain from promoting Quickwork’s supplements to “prevent, cure, mitigate, or treat COVID-19 without competent and reliable scientific evidence to support such claims.”
“The defendants are also banned from misrepresenting the results of COVID-19 research in their advertising,” the DOJ statement adds.
Dr. Nepute did not return several phone calls from The Epoch Times seeking comment for this story.
The government’s 27-page lawsuit contained more than 10 million alleged COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act violations, totaling $43,792 per offense and exceeding $508 billion.
In April 2022, Dr. Nepute told The Epoch Times that the government was “desperately” trying to settle a politically charged case with him.
He said many doctors and health practitioners routinely prescribe vitamin D3 and zinc to boost natural immunity.
Dr. Nepute also told The Epoch Times his legal defense costs were more than $4.5 million and that he lost two businesses due to the government filing a civil action.
