Tag Archives: consumer protection

Reading list: empirical evidence about FTC’s substantiation standard

Sungho Cho &Yongjae Kim, Empirical Rationalization of Prior Substantiation Doctrine: Federal Trade Commission v. Reebok & Sketchers, 29 Loy. Consumer L. Rev. 55 (2016) (not apparently available online—update that website, Loyola Consumer Law Review!) ABSTRACT Companies frequently make efficacy claims … Continue reading

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Ninth Circuit bars consumer claims challenging assertions of clinical proof

Kwan v. SanMedica Int’l, — F.3d –, No. 15-15496, 2017 WL 1416483 (9th Cir. Apr. 21, 2017) Kwan alleged that SanMedica’s product SeroVital was falsely advertised as effective, and the district court dismissed her complaint as a lack of substantiation … Continue reading

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9th Circuit revives class action against allegedly mislabeled baby food

Bruton v. Gerber Prods. Co., 2017 WL 1396221, — Fed.Appx. —-, No. 15-15174 (9th Cir. Apr. 19, 2017) Bruton sued Gerber, alleging that labels on certain Gerber baby food products included claims about nutrient and sugar content that were impermissible … Continue reading

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lack of substantiation isn’t actionable, but claims of 100% satisfaction are

Moorer v. Stemgenex Medical Group, Inc., 2017 WL 1281882, No. 16-cv-02816 (S.D. Cal. Apr. 6, 2017) Plaintiffs brought the usual California claims (plus RICO and California’s Health and Safety Code section 24170, et seq., (Human Experimentation) (!), and Financial Elder … Continue reading

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California Supreme Court finds waiver of statutory remedies unenforceable even as part of arbitration

McGill v. Citibank, N.A., No. S224086, 2017 WL 1279700 (Cal. Apr. 6, 2017) Statutory remedies available for a violation of the CLRA, UCL, and FAL include public injunctive relief: injunctive relief that has “the primary purpose and effect of prohibiting … Continue reading

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NY class certified in “flushable” wipes case with statutory damages available

Kurtz v. Kimberly-Clark Corp., No. 14-CV-1142 et al., 2017 WL 1155398, — F.Supp.3d —- (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 27, 2017) (not effective until April 10, 2017) (I suspect this is another way for the judge to say “get this out of my … Continue reading

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internal studies on consumer preference support class action treatment for weed killer claims

Martin v. Monsanto Co., No. 16–2168, 2017 WL 1115167 (C.D. Cal. Mar. 24, 2017) This case grants class certification, illustrating the use of internal consumer research in class action practice.  The probabilistic nature of consumer reaction is not necessarily a … Continue reading

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False advertising of sperm donor leads to wrongful birth claim

Doe 1 v. Xytex Corp., No. C 16-02935, 2017 WL 1112996 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 24, 2017)| A false advertising case arising out of a wrongful birth claim: Does One and Two used xytex.com, which sold human semen for use in … Continue reading

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First Amendment bars labeling restriction for “skim milk” without added Vitamin A

Ocheesee Creamery LLC v. Putnam, 2017 WL 1046104, — F.3d —-, No. 16-12049 (11th Cir. Mar. 20, 2017) The Creamery here succeeded in its First Amendment claim to use the words “skim milk” to describe its product. The Creamery produces … Continue reading

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Bud Light Lime-a-Rita not deceptive despite not being so light after all

Cruz v. Anheuser-Busch Cos., LLC, No. 15-56021, — Fed.Appx. —-, 2017 WL 1019084 (9th Cir. Mar. 16, 2017) Cruz sued Anheuser-Busch for the usual California claims, alleging that the labels on cartons containing cans of “Rita” malt beverages, including Lime-a-Rita, … Continue reading

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