The State of Florida has filed suit against Advanced Wellness Research and its owners, including Kelly O'Shea of Aventura, CourthouseNews.com is reporting.

According to court papers filed in Ft. Lauderdale, Advanced Wellness research offers "free trials" of health care products on the Internet, then charges customers up to $80 a month for products they didn't order.

The State of Florida is seeking monetary penalties as well as an injunction to shut down the practices.

Writing in the newsletter of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, nutritionist David Schardt has a candidate for quote of the month: "If Bernard Madoff were in the food business, he'd be offering 'free' trials of acai-based weight-loss products."

For the full CourtHouseNews.com story, go to: http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/28/Florida_Sues_Snake_Oil_Salesmen.htm