‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Author Sued over Mediocre Sex Lubricant

The author of 50 Shades of Grey—the lousily written pop-erotica that is now a major motion picture starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan—is being sued over inadequate sex lubricant.

Last Thursday, Tania Warchol filed a class-action lawsuit in California claiming that the Fifty Shades of Grey Come Alive Pleasure Gel For Her failed to deliver on its promise of sexual gratification and improved orgasms. (The suit names author Erika Mitchell—a.k.a., E.L. James—and Delaware corporation Lovehoney as defendants.)

Here’s a glimpse of the 50 Shades-brand pleasure gel:

Warchol is suing on behalf of everybody who bought this over the last four years, and is seeking a refund and punitive damages. She is claiming that the sex gel violates California’s unfair competition and false advertising laws. Her lawsuit also alleges that the lubricant is improperly unregistered with the FDA.

“Based on Defendants’ representations, Plaintiff believed the Product has powerful aphrodisiac qualities and would increase her sexual pleasure as advertised,” the complaint reads. “The Product did not deliver the purported benefits.”

Read the full complaint below:

As far as 50 Shades controversies go, this is on the more frivolous end of the spectrum. Some activists are calling for a boycott of the film adaptation, conservative watchdogs have slammed its sexual content, and the Malaysian censorship board banned the movie.

All this fuss over a BDSM-themed erotic romance that is sure to do nothing but bore your average dominatrix.