Over the last few years, hundreds of lawsuits have been filed, and many more threatened, involving advertising claims that a product has no artificial preservatives or flavors. In many cases, the plaintiffs allege such...more
2021 saw well over 500 new class actions in the advertising space. With the number of these cases increasing, it is more important than ever for businesses to stay on top of the latest trends, including the types of products...more
Judge Rachel Kovner of the Eastern District of New York recently dismissed a putative class action challenging Whole Foods Market’s label claims that its Oats & Flax Instant Oatmeal contains “dehydrated cane juice solids” and...more
In Yamasaki v. Zicam, LLC, Case No. 21-cv-2596 (N.D. Cal. 2021), Plaintiff alleged certain Zicam® cold remedy products were falsely advertised as “clinically proven to shorten colds.” On this basis, Plaintiff sought to...more
Beginning in 2020, the advertising world saw an explosion of putative class-actions challenging the use of “vanilla” to describe products where the vanilla flavoring allegedly is not derived exclusively from the vanilla bean...more
Minnesota federal district court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz recently dismissed with prejudice an alleged class action claiming that Champion Petfoods misrepresented the quality of its dog food and ingredients by failing to...more
Now that 2020 is in the rearview mirror (*collective sigh of relief*), we wanted to share our perspective on notable decisions and trends from this past year at the National Advertising Division and the advertising...more
1/29/2021
/ Advertising ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Consumer Product Companies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dietary Supplements ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food Labeling ,
Health Claims ,
Labeling ,
Marketing ,
NAD ,
NARB ,
Personal Care Products
Now that 2020 is in the rearview mirror (*collective sigh of relief*), we wanted to share our perspective on notable decisions and trends from this past year at the National Advertising Division and the advertising...more
1/28/2021
/ Advertising ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Consumer Product Companies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dietary Supplements ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food Labeling ,
Health Claims ,
Labeling ,
Marketing ,
NAD ,
NARB ,
Personal Care Products
While 2020 was an eventful year in the world of advertising law, it feels wrong to begin any type of “year in review” without acknowledging the global events of this year, and the challenges they have brought to every...more
1/13/2021
/ Advertising ,
Appeals ,
Appellate Courts ,
Class Action ,
Counterfeiting ,
Disgorgement ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food Labeling ,
Lanham Act ,
Marketing ,
Product Labels ,
Romag Fasteners v Fossil ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The beverage industry came out on top in a pair of recently dismissed lawsuits alleging the use of the term “vanilla” on drink labels was misleading, where the vanilla flavor allegedly did not come exclusively from the...more
Judge Alison Nathan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York recently dismissed with prejudice a putative class action alleging Starbucks misrepresented itself as a “premium” coffee retailer. In doing...more
Conagra Brands recently emerged victorious when Judge William H. Orrick of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted summary judgment in its favor, tossing claims that the company disguises the...more
Judge Paul C. Huck of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida recently granted a motion to dismiss brought by Defendants The Fresh Market and Tyson Fresh Meats in a putative consumer class action alleging...more
After the recent dismissal of nearly identical claims, the same consumer plaintiffs have once again been thwarted in their attempt to challenge labeling and advertising that supposedly misleads consumers into believing the...more
Last month, the Seventh Circuit reversed a district court’s decision preliminarily enjoining Anheuser-Busch from making various advertising claims related to the absence of corn syrup in Bud Light, including that Bud Light...more
6/17/2020
/ Anheuser-Busch ,
Beer ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Comparative Advertising ,
Consumer Confusion ,
Deceptive Intent ,
False Advertising ,
MillerCoors ,
Misleading Impressions ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On April 8, 2020, Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted Ghirardelli Chocolate’s motion to dismiss a putative nationwide class action brought by several consumers...more
Last month, a Fifth Circuit panel vacated in part a judgment in a false advertising case that disgorged the defendant’s profits, awarded corrective advertising damages under the Lanham Act and enjoined the disputed claims....more
A Second Circuit panel recently affirmed the dismissal of a putative false advertising class action against Dunkin’ Brands, which alleged the company misled consumers as to the contents of products Dunkin’ described as “Angus...more
Judge Vernon Broderick of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York recently decided a motion to dismiss by luxury consignment goods reseller The RealReal (“TRR”) in an action brought by famous French...more
On February 6, the California Court of Appeals (Second Appellate District) sustained a lower court’s dismissal of a putative class action alleging that the claim “no sugar added” on the label of tangerine juice is deceptive...more
On January 31, 2020, Southern District of New York Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied Plaintiff Matthew Marotto’s motion for reconsideration of an order denying class certification in his lawsuit against Pringles potato chip...more
We have previously written about decisions addressing food product labels, and the messages that these labels convey about the products’ ingredients. In Jessani v. Monini, the Second Circuit found that a product label for...more
8/29/2019
/ Breach of Warranty ,
Dismissals ,
Express Warranty ,
False Advertising ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Implied Warranties ,
Negligent Misrepresentation ,
Product Labels ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Unjust Enrichment
Several months ago we covered two Second Circuit decisions that addressed false advertising claims related to ingredients and product labeling of foods, which reached differing results. Applying similar principles, a recent...more
After Ninth Circuit review, it remains to be seen whether a nutritional supplement maker can claim that ginkgo biloba leaf extract and vinpocetine supplements improve “alertness,” “mental clarity, and memory” in the face of...more
4/10/2019
/ Advertising ,
Appeals ,
Class Action ,
CLRA ,
Dietary Supplements ,
False Advertising ,
Preponderance of the Evidence ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Scientific Evidence ,
Summary Judgment ,
Unfair Competition Law (UCL)
In a battle of leading yogurt beverage makers, Chief Judge Colleen McMahon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York recently denied Dannon’s application for a preliminary injunction in its false...more