A Los Angeles federal judge has awarded POM Wonderful $1.5 million in damages in a fraudulent advertising lawsuit it filed against Purely Juice Inc., a Newport Beach company.

POM Wonderful, owned by Los Angeles billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick, is the largest grower and distributor of pomegranates and pomegranate juice in the U.S.

“Unfortunately, Purely Juice took advantage of consumers seeking these health benefits by advertising and labeling its product as “100% pomegranate juice” with “no sugar added” and offering it at lower price,” POM Wonderful president Matt Tupper said in a statement. “Yet, they knew full well they were selling adulterated juice.”

The verdict was announced on Thursday.

POM Wonderful filed suit against Purely Juice in 2007, claiming the company gained an unfair advantage in the market by falsely advertising its juice as 100 percent pomegranate juice, when it contained added sugars.

In addition to the damages, the court also granted injunctive relief that prevents Purely Juice from falsely advertising in the future.