* Brewing giant accused of concealing Blue Moon's origins
* No showing that MillerCoors meant to deceive consumers
* Judge also presiding over unrelated Trump University case
By Jonathan Stempel
June 17 (Reuters) - MillerCoors LLC won the dismissal of a
proposed class action lawsuit by a self-described beer
aficionado who said the brewing giant tricked consumers into
paying premium prices for Blue Moon by falsely portraying it as
"craft beer."
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel in San Diego said the
plaintiff, Evan Parent, did not show MillerCoors affirmatively
misrepresented the origins of Blue Moon, a Belgian-style wheat
beer, such as by suggesting it is brewed in small tanks and
produced in a small brick building run by "The SandLot Guys."
"At best, these advertisements contain generalized, vague
and unspecified assertions that amount to mere puffery upon
which a reasonable consumer could not rely," Curiel wrote in a
decision on Thursday.
The judge also found no showing that MillerCoors pressured
retailers to put Blue Moon in craft beer displays, and said it
was not liable if concert venues, sports venues and restaurant
chains such as Applebee's and TGI Friday's decided on their own
to call it a craft beer.
Parent is from San Diego, court records show. His lawyers
did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.
Marty Maloney, a MillerCoors spokesman, said the
Chicago-based company is pleased with the decision.
The lawsuit sought unspecified damages.
MillerCoors is jointly owned by SABMiller Plc SAB.L and
Molson Coors Brewing Co TAP.N . It also produces such brands as
Miller High Life, Coors Light and Molson Canadian.
Curiel also presides over an unrelated lawsuit by former
students of Trump University. Republican presidential candidate
Donald Trump, who has proposed sealing the U.S.-Mexico border
with a wall, has complained that Curiel cannot treat him fairly
because of the judge's Mexican heritage.
The case is Parent v MillerCoors LLC, U.S. District Court,
Southern District of California, No. 15-01204.