Cologne (pts/23 Aug. 2007). On August 16, 2007, the M. DuMont Schauberg publishing house signed and gave a statement to Herbalife International Deutschland GmbH in which the publisher said it would avoid distributing or having distributed the quote from Mrs. Caberta, "The connection between Herbalife and Scientology has been in existence since the 1990s" because it gave the impression that there is an actual connection between Herbalife and Scientology.
The Express Koln newspaper published that quote from Ursula Caberta, of the Hamburg Interior Authority, on July 28, 2007 during a yearly meeting in Cologne. Article author Robert Baumanns called up Mrs. Caberta, the director of the Work Group Scientology at the Hamburg Interior Authority. She distanced herself from the publication and communicated in writing, "The corresponding citation in the 28 July 2007 Express Koln was not authorized by Mrs. Caberta." Another written statement from the authority said, "We do not take the position that an actual connection between the Herbalife company and Scientology has been established."
Herbalife has defended itself for years against libelous statements that it was associated with Scientology.
Claudia Harteneck-Kohl, Herbalife Senior Director for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, said, "In reference to the extreme and harmful reactions with the media, we will have to continue to defend ourselves from such libelous statements. Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) pursues commercial interests exclusively; it is neither a sect nor is it organized like one. It is not associated with the Scientology sect or its ideology. All rumors to that effect have been proven untrue."