A new lawsuit alleges executives from the soda company recruited researchers to distract attention from their product’s negative health effects.

Coca-Cola, the world’s largest sugar-sweetened beverage maker, has knowingly diverted the unhealthy effects of sugary drinks through misinformation and false advertising, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, alleges that Coca-Cola and an industry trade group, the American Beverage Association (ABA), has “engaged in a pattern of deception to mislead and confuse” the public and public health agencies “about the scientific consensus that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.”

The allegations include secretly funding and publically promoting biased research, working together to promote exercise over the reduction of sugary drink consumption, and running “false and misleading advertising campaigns” while growing scientific evidence linked its products to preventable diseases, states the lawsuit filed by a two nonprofit organizations.

“A primary purpose of these ongoing campaigns of disinformation and misrepresentation is to maintain and increase the sales of sugar-sweetened beverages, and to thwart and delay efforts of government entities to regulate sugar-sweetened beverages through warning labels, taxes, and other measures designed to make consumers aware of the potential for harm,” the lawsuit states.

Citing internal documents, the lawsuit states Coca-Cola’s top executives were responsible for recruiting researchers who, at least in one case, wanted to help Coca-Cola “avoid the image of being a problem in people’s lives and back to being a company that brings important and fun things to them.”

A representative for Coca-Cola did not respond to a request for comment. When its funding of research was reported in the press, Coca-Cola publically disclosed the recipients of $135.4 million spent on research and health programs from 2009 to June 2016.

The ABA said in a statement to Healthline that beverage companies have a role to play in addressing the nation’s health challenges.

“That’s why we’re engaging with health groups and community organizations to drive a reduction in the sugar and calories Americans get from beverages,” the statement said. “Unfounded accusations like these won’t do anything to address health concerns, but the actions we’re taking, particularly in areas where obesity rates are among the highest, can make a difference.”

The suit was filed by attorneys for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and the Public Health Advocacy Institute, organizations with histories of challenging large soda makers on the health effects of their beverages.

No monetary compensation is specified in the lawsuit.

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