Local Courts to Hear Plastic Bottle Suit

The Virgin Islands government’s suit against plastic bottle producers will stay in local courts after a ruling by federal Judge Robert Molloy Monday.

Molloy ruled that the suit from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs and the government of the Virgin Islands against makers of Pepsi and Coke products could proceed in the Virgin Islands Superior Court.

Local government entities claimed in their April 2025 suit that PepsiCo and Coca-Cola were creating, marketing, and distributing plastic products they knew could not be recycled, despite their claims to the contrary. The associated litter, the USVI government said, was burying the territory’s natural beauty under waves of floating garbage.

The suit claimed violations of consumer protection laws, the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, and common public nuisance laws.