AUSTIN (KXAN) — The makers of Colgate toothpaste filed an "Assurance of Voluntary Compliance" Wednesday in response to a lawsuit from the Texas Office of Attorney General that alleged the company engaged in deceptive trade practices.
Texas AG Ken Paxton sued the company and other toothpaste makers on April 30. He claimed that the companies had “encourag[ed] kids to ingest fluoride toothpaste and mislead their parents to use far more than the safe and recommended amount of fluoride toothpaste.”
The assurance was signed by an attorney for Colgate and Texas Assistant Attorney General Kelley Owens, with the OAG's Consumer Protection Division.
"The United States Food and Drug Administration requires certain directions and warnings on fluoride-containing toothpastes, and the Parties do not dispute that Colgate’s labels contain these directions and warnings and comply with those requirements," it states.
The Colgate-Palmolive Company said in the filing that it sought to wrap the situation up without the need for "protracted and expensive litigation." The company also stated in the filing that the assurance was not an admission that the company violated any laws or rules.
"Colgate denies any wrongdoing or liability and alleges that it has not engaged in any conduct that violated Texas law," the filing said. "Colgate hereby agrees and voluntarily assures the State that the depictions of the amount of toothpaste used on toothbrushes in its marketing and packaging in the State ... will reflect age-appropriate toothpaste amounts consistent with the product labels’ usage instructions."
