RICHMOND, Va. (CN) — A Virginia man suffering from kratom withdrawal survived a motion to dismiss his claims Wednesday that industry members knowingly omitted their products’ addictive nature to consumers.
U.S. District Judge David Novak rejected 10 companies and three individuals’ motions to dismiss state and federal fraud claims.
“The court finds plaintiffs’ allegations far from conclusory,” the Donald Trump appointee said.
Corey Tucker started purchasing kratom from smoke shops in 2022 after suffering from chronic back pain stemming from a car accident. Tucker claims he relied on the packaging, which advertised the kratom products as an herbal alternative to addictive opioids. Tucker faced unexpected difficulty when he eventually attempted to stop using kratom.
“Plaintiff Tucker experienced severe withdrawal symptoms, including fever, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome,” Tucker said…
Identity theft is the “foundational” fraud upon which many other crimes are built. It involves the unauthorized acquisition and use of a person’s personal identifying information (PII), such as an ID number, Social Security number, or passport details.
- How it works: Fraudsters obtain PII through data breaches, mail theft, or “social engineering” (tricking people into revealing details). Once they have this data, they can open new bank accounts, apply for credit cards or loans, and even receive medical treatment under your name.
- Synthetic Identity Fraud: A sophisticated variation where criminals combine real and fabricated information to create a completely new, “synthetic” person. This is particularly difficult to detect because there is no single victim to report the suspicious activity initially.