There has been a recent surge of privacy class action lawsuits under the Arizona Telephone, Utility, and Communication Service Records Act targeting the use of common email marketing analytics technologies.
Defendants are...more
Many brands have reformulated beloved products with “cleaner” ingredients, while others have curated a special selection of “clean” products to offer their customers. Advertisers’ efforts, however, can run into trouble if...more
While there might not be such a thing as a free lunch, Subway in 2016 texted a consumer that she could receive a free bag of chips with any purchase. The text let the consumer know she could respond STOP to opt out of the...more
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
It has been almost 40 years since Bruce Springsteen first famously celebrated being American-made with his hit "Born in the USA."
From an advertising industry perspective, this song's lasting popularity is no surprise;...more
1/17/2023
/ Advertising ,
Class Action ,
Department of Agriculture ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Made in the USA ,
Misleading Statements ,
Penalties ,
Product Labels ,
USDA
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 Victor Marrero of the Southern District of New York recently largely denied a motion to dismiss claims that Canada Goose misled consumers by representing that the fur on Canada Goose jackets is ethically and sustainably...more
Judge Todd W. Robinson of the Southern District of California recently dismissed a putative class action against Edgewell Personal Care, the makers of Wet Ones antibacterial hand wipes, alleging it misled consumers by...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
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
NPR and PBS recently released an attention-grabbing investigation titled “How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled.” According to the investigation, beginning in the late 1980s, “big oil” began...more
12/4/2020
/ Advertising ,
Class Action ,
Class Representatives ,
Environmental Claims ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Green Guides ,
Labeling ,
Marketing ,
NAD ,
Plastics ,
Recycling ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Unjust Enrichment
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 Raag Singhal of the Southern District of Florida recently granted Burger King’s motion to dismiss a putative class action challenging its advertising for its plant-based “Impossible Burger,” and its motion to deny class...more
9/2/2020
/ Advertising ,
Breach of Contract ,
Burger King ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Consumer Fraud ,
Food Marketing ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Unjust Enrichment
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
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
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)
On December 10, 2018, the Supreme Court denied certiorari in Kimberly-Clark Corp, v. Davidson, No. 18-304 (2018), in which Kimberly-Clark sought to overturn a controversial Ninth Circuit decision allowing a plaintiff in a...more
Recently, a plaintiff’s purported class action against Diet Dr. Pepper went flat when a California federal judge held that the term “Diet” alone on a soft drink label does not constitute a claim that the soft drink will...more
Earlier this month, Judge William H. Pauley III in the Southern District of New York stayed a lawsuit against the snack bar maker KIND LLC, styled as a class action, alleging that KIND falsely marketed its products as “all...more
3/27/2018
/ Bioengineering ,
Class Action ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
False Advertising ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Manufacturers ,
GMO ,
Misleading Statements ,
New Rules ,
Stays ,
USDA
Recently, the Supreme Court in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, 137 S. Ct. 1702 (2017), held that the plaintiff in a putative class action involving Xbox 360 game consoles could not appeal from the District Court’s denial of class...more
In a 6-2 decision, the Supreme Court, in an opinion authored by Justice Alito, held that the Ninth Circuit’s Article III standing analysis in Robins v. Spokeo was incomplete because it focused solely on whether the plaintiff...more
In December, the California Supreme Court held that a challenge to a farm’s labeling of its herbs as “organic” under state false advertising laws is not preempted by the federal Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (“Organic...more