Tag Archives: false advertising

trial court erred by presuming materiality of black box warning; $834 million penalty vacated

State ex rel. Shikada v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., 2023 WL 2519857, SCAP-21-0000363, — P.3d —- (Hawai’i Mar. 15, 2023) The state sued two pharmaceutical companies for violating Hawai‘i’s Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices law (UDAP) by misleading the public … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

video on company’s YouTube channel was informational, not commercial speech

WatsonSeal Marketing LLC v. Crawlspace Ninja IP LLC, 2023 WL 2533061, No. 5:22-cv-649-LCB (N.D. Ala. Mar. 15, 2023) When is informational material related to a for-profit company’s business commercial speech? Here, the court finds a YouTube video noncommercial despite some … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

no disgorgement/fees in false advertising case even after Romag remand

Harbor Breeze Corp. v. Newport Landing Sportfishing, Inc., 2023 WL 2504988, No. SACV 17-01613-CJC (DFMx) (C.D. Cal. Mar. 13, 2023) Previous district court ruling on irreparable harm; previous 9th Cir. opinion remanding for reconsideration of disgorgement and attorneys’ fees after … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

detailed examination of harm story dooms FedEx’s false advertising claim

Ah, how I wish courts would apply the same scrutiny to trademark harm stories. FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. v. Route Consultant, Inc., 2023 WL 2466624, No. 3:22-cv-00656 (M.D. Tenn. Mar. 10, 2023) FedEx uses around 4500 independent contractors (ISPs) … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

“fit” on snack bars isn’t implied nutrient or “healthy” claim

Seljak v. Pervine Foods, LLC, 2023 WL 2354976, No. 21 Civ. 9561 (NRB) (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 3, 2023) Plaintiffs sought to represent a class of purchasers of FITCRUNCH Whey Protein Baked Bar products or FITBAR energy bar products. They contain high … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Failure to include adjusted protein percentage on protein-touting products can be misleading

Rausch v. Flatout, Inc., — F.Supp.3d —-, 2023 WL 2401452, No. 22-cv-04157-VC (N.D. Cal. Mar. 8, 2023) I love a good summary: When a manufacturer advertises the amount of protein in a product on its package, the Food and Drug … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Vanilla class action certified based on sufficient survey evidence

Vizcarra v. Unilever U.S., Inc., 2023 WL 2364736, No. 4:20-cv-02777 YGR (N.D. Cal. Feb. 24, 2023) Hey, it’s a certified class in a vanilla case: Vizcarra alleged that Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream misleadingly communicated that it contained vanilla flavor … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

FTC wins summary judgment for violations of shipping Rule and Covid Consumer Protection Act

F.T.C. v. Romero, 2023 WL 2445339, No. 5:21-cv-343-BJD-PRL (M.D. Fla. Feb. 27, 2023) The FTC still has some tools in its arsenal. Here, violations of the Trade Regulation Rule Concerning the Sale of Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise (MITOR) … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Drop-shipper’s “in stock” and “trust us over others” claims not shown to be deceptive

Krikor v. Sports Mall, LLC, 2023 WL 2372068, No. CV 22-5600-DMG (MRWx) (C.D. Cal. Jan. 24, 2023) Previous decision here—really interesting attack on internet arbitrage; defendant copied Krikor’s eBay memorabilia photos and listed the memorabilia on its own site with … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

“maximum strength” OTC claim plausibly misleading where prescription strength was stronger

Acosta-Aguayo v. Walgreen Co., No. 22-cv-00177, 2023 WL 2333300 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 2, 2023) Plaintiffs alleged that three of Walgreens’ pain-relieving products mislead consumers because the products’ front labels state that they are “Maximum Strength” lidocaine products, but stronger prescription … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment