Pruvit sues three distributors who left the company
Following Michael Rutherford’s disclosure that commissions have “dramatically decreased“, Pruvit is now suing distributors who’ve left the company.
Three lawsuits filed at the state level have turned up in federal court. In the lawsuits Pruvit seeks injunctions against Alexis Brady, Casey Kio and Brianna Blackburn.
Alexis Brady is a former Pruvit distributor based out of Colorado.
As alleged by Pruvit in their September 1st filed Complaint, Brady was high enough in Pruvit to be part of their “Ownership Pool”.
As Pruvers continue to rise within the ranks of Pruvit, they are eligible to be elevated to the Ownership Pool.
The Terms and Conditions of the Ownership Pool prohibit cross-recruitment into other MLM companies.
Pruvit alleges Brady has targeted Pruvit distributors both prior to and after leaving Pruvit.
Defendant has recruited current Pruvers to join Competitors via Facebook posts, Milkshake, Instagram, text messages, and personal interactions. Defendant’s various online and social media accounts are replete with examples of such breaches.
Oddly enough, the example provided by Pruvit in their Complaint doesn’t identify an MLM company:
Brady doesn’t disclose what she is promoting publicly on her FaceBook page. In potential violation of the FTC Act, she nonetheless pitches “2-3 hours a day” generating “$5K-$10K a month (or more)”.
Over on TikTok Brady’s profile links to 7 Figures Done For You, an affiliate program by Phillip Johansen that purportedly teaches how steal other people’s content.
In this presentation you will learn … How to re-upload OTHER people’s content to make passive recurring income.
Pruvit claims Brady is “recruiting (people) away from Pruvit) through her marketing efforts.
Discovery of Competitors’ distributor and customer lists is expected to reveal Provers and Pruvit customers who were not only recruited, but left Pruvit, and joined Competitors due to Defendant’s improper conduct.
Pruvit is seeking an injunction against Brady, over a million dollars in exemplary damages and legal costs.
Casey Kio is a former Pruvit distributor based out of New Jersey. Pruvit filed suit against Kio on September 7th.
Like Brady, Kio qualified for Pruvit’s Ownership Pool.
Unlike Brady (at least as far as Pruvit’s Complaint goes), Kio was terminated by Pruvit “on or about July 13, 2023”.
Citing the distributor agreement Kio signed, Pruvit accuses Kio of promoting Green Compass to Pruvit distributors.
Defendant is aggressively recruiting Pruvit’s customers and promoters in further violation of her contractual obligations to Pruvit.
Defendant Kio engaged in this conduct prior to and after the termination of her promoter relationships with Pruvit.
Pruvit is seeking an injunction against Kio, over a million in exemplary damages and legal costs.
Brianna Blackburn is a former Pruvit distributor based out of Ohio. Pruvit filed suit against Blackburn on September 12th.
Blackburn was also Ownership Pool qualified and, after leaving Pruvit, is now also promoting Green Compass.
Whereas Kio was terminated by Pruvit however, Blackburn voluntarily terminated her Pruvit distributorship “on or about July 14, 2023”.
Nonetheless Pruvit’s allegations against Blackburn are essentially the same.
Defendant has recruited current Pravers to join Green Compass via Facebook posts and personal interactions.
Defendant’s various online and social media accounts are replete with examples of such breaches.
Defendant has posted videos promoting Green Compass over Pruvit and invited current Pravers to participate and comment.
Once again Pruvit is seeking an injunction against Blackburn, over a million in exemplary damages and legal costs.
Broadly speaking failing MLM companies suing distributors after they leave is not only not a good look, it also doesn’t work.
These disputes are typically settled confidentially, leaving downlines and the public to connect the dots.
Personally I’m of the opinion that resources expended going after Pruvit distributors would far better be spent examining why, as disclosed by Rutherford, Pruvit’s commissions have tanked.
I’ve added all three of Pruvit’s lawsuits to BehindMLM calendar. Stay tuned for updates as we continue to track the cases.
Update 20th September 2023 – Brianna Blackburn has been in touch to advise she “was actually only a rank 6 when I left the company so I wasn’t ownership pool qualified.”
On the topic of Pruvit, I’m aware Jessie Lee Ward passed away yesterday. A few readers emailed in about it.
It’s not something we’d typically cover. Lee hasn’t featured in any BehindMLM articles over the years so we don’t have anything to follow up on.
From what I gather, Lee was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Instead of seeking medical treatment she tried to manage it herself by pumping coffee up her butt and who knows what else.
Regardless of whether Ward mismanaged her illness though, nobody deserves to die from cancer. I hope it wasn’t too painful at the end.
It’s not the same but I lost my cat of 16 to throat cancer a year and a half ago. Cancer is bullshit.
Look after yourselves people and always seek appropriate medical advice. Ward’s case is perhaps particularly tragic as she certainly had the financial means to better deal with and manage her diagnosis.
This article is disgusting! How can you even mention anything about Jessie Lee in this article!? Her passing isn’t related at all, and she didn’t “just pump coffee up her butt!”.
This is so disturbing to say the least! Do not speak on something you know absolutely nothing about! Jessie Lee did everything humanly possible to fight her fight!
You may want to edit this, unless you think it’s a good look.
Lee had enough of a following that her passing resulted in a number of people reaching out via email.
I thought about lampooning her terrible diagnostic decisions as a PSA but decided against it. It’s beyond the scope of BehindMLM’s MLM coverage. Also we hadn’t run into Ward in the past so there was nothing to build off.
Lee was in Pruvit, so this was as good a place as any to publicly address reader communication.
Except seek actual medical treatment. Her choice – but choices have consequences.
If you think pumping coffee up your butt is a cancer treatment you’re a fucking moron. I still wish you the best in life but you’re an absolute deadset fucking moron.
That Lee’s final legacy was spreading misinformation about a very deadly disease is shameful. I could go on but I’ll leave it there.
Please go clutch your coffee enema scented pearls somewhere else. Thanks.
@Dee
Thanks for catching that!
WTF was that commentary necessary? I’m appalled! JL was an incredible leader, mentor, friend and human. How dare you make such a rude assessment!
Everyone deserves to deal with cancer their own way. She traveled the world with the best doctors/research. While still doing her business with a smile on her face cheering others on.
Her choice was not to do chemo and I don’t blame her one bit. Shame on you!
My issue with Lee is not declining medical treatment. Nor do I blame her for declining medical treatment. It was her life to throw away as she saw fit.
Had Lee of just announced she was declining medical treatment, I wouldn’t be writing this.
My issue is, from the standpoint of her influence and following within the MLM industry, turning her decision into a very public marketing circus.
By all means decline medical treatment and pump coffee up your butt and whatever else. But don’t present doing nothing medically relevant as a viable alternative to actual medical treatment to your large following. That is dangerous and shameful.
Long story short; do stupid things publicly, expect public criticism.
I’m also not taking away from anything Lee did or her as a person outside of her cancer marketing circus. Wasn’t following her so I can’t comment.
You didn’t follow her, yet have so much to say. You are obnoxious!
As someone who just lost my husband to cancer … (Ozedit: derails removed)
Do stupid things publicly, expect public criticism.
Sorry about your husband. You’re understandably emotional, walk it off.
Pruvit sells their NaT Ketones on Amazon directly to their customers, directly competing with distributors. If I can buy my powdered lead direct from the company, with free shipping instead of dealing with a distributor, yes please!!!
RIP Jessie Lee, I remember her coffee enema video. It is sad, wasn’t she in her early 30’s or something like that? Gone way too young.
You have to wonder why Pruvit thinks suing former distributors, cutting back door deals to pay the CEO, and selling on Amazon would make their opportunity appealing to join.
This has to be the end of their purported IPO as well. And with the sad passing too young of Jessie Lee, they have lost part of the glue that kept the field together.
You can’t sue your way to success. I don’t see this boding well for the company.
1) Pruvit now sells some product on amazon so other 3rd, 4th party people trying to make a quick buck with no customer service no longer can. Also buying product from amazon is more expensive with no extra benefits. Educate yourself.
2) There is so much more behind the lawsuit with the former distributors that is being shared. SOME of these distributors were bashing and posting lies in hopes their loyal pruvit customers would jump ship. It is pathetic.
3) These disgusting comments from “OZ” shows that this article should not be taken seriously… Let’s see if this comment even gets posted.
This article is literally based on and quotes from the lawsuits Pruvit filed.
These are the facts as alleged by Pruvit. There is no “so much more”, otherwise Pruvit would have included it in the lawsuit.
Amazon might be a terrible company but they have some of the best customer service online, period. Can’t speak to whether Pruvit’s products are cheaper but in your rush to make excuses, you’ve missed the point.
Pruvit is competing directly against its distributors on Amazon. Makes the whole MLM business model redundant if distributors are being undercut on the world’s biggest ecommerce platform.
Obvious butthurt is obvious. Don’t tell me you’re a coffee pumper too…
I must be missing something. When I punch Pruvit into Amazon the only actual Pruvit product I can see is Pruvit Keto Kick (100+ sold in the last month).
Oddly enough only the sponsored listing shows up. The actual listing is buried in ketone supplement listings.
When I went to price compare Pruvit Keto Kick isn’t listed on Pruvit’s website. A++ customer experience.
edit: If I open up the Keto Kick product and click “visit the Pruvit store” I can see other Pruvit products. None of these show up in a search.
edit2: Ah, nothing is in stock, that’s why nothing shows up. Listed price for out of stock Keto//OS Nat on Amazon is $154 shipped.
Can’t compare on Pruvit’s website because you can’t calculate shipping without a referral code. A++ anti-consumer experience.
I went to Amazon and searched Pruvit. Lots of flavors of Pruvit NAT come up, along with several other of their products. I am in USA, so not sure if that is why.
They charge $154. On a video Erin did, she said the training Blake did said Amazon is priced higher, though it’s free shipping.
When you compare vs Pruvit where you pay shipping and tax it came to the same cost. The idea is that customers will find it on Amazon, then search for it cheaper.
How then they find a distributor makes no sense, and if the cost is similar then it’s just easier to buy on Amazon.
Do stupid things on the Internet, get stupid prizes.
How about “Steve Jobs was ultimately wrong Award”? Or is that going to be TOO prestigious?
More FACTS:
Pruvit’s “contract” (which isn’t even a contract) and non-compete states all Food, Beverage & Nutritional Supplements as competing products.
So you could not be a “side gig” independent contractor with them or a “volunteer army” as CEO Brian Underwood likes to spew and also work at McDonald’s, or a restaurant, or a bar. Think about that!
If you are an independent contractor (1099 employee) why do they have the right to tell you where you can and cannot work in addition to their “side gig”?
They are suing people who added another stream of income to their day because their checks were cut by half from Pruvit.
Affiliate or digital marketing is not a competing product. Oh and there’s a 4th lawsuit so you might want to update the title.
Has the fourth lawsuit been moved to federal court? It wasn’t when I researched this article.