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
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
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
National Beverage Corporation, the maker of the popular LaCroix sparkling water products, failed to obtain Rule 11 sanctions against a consumer plaintiff, but ultimately scored a major victory recently, when the plaintiff not...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
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
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
On December 20, 2018, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal without leave to amend of a putative class action complaint against Blue Diamond Growers, which alleged that the term “almond milk” on Blue Diamond’s beverages...more
We recently blogged about the Second Circuit’s December 3, 2018 decision in Jessani v. Monini, where, applying the reasonable consumer standard, the Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the dismissal with prejudice of 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
The Northern District of California recently denied class certification to a plaintiff who alleged that Gerber Products misbranded nutritional claims about baby food products in violation of state and federal labeling laws....more
2/27/2018
/ Advertising ,
Article III ,
Children's Products ,
False Advertising ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Manufacturers ,
FRCP 23(b)(3) ,
Gerber ,
Kimberly-Clark ,
Misbranding ,
Natural Products ,
Standing
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
Alleging violations of Illinois statutory and common law, Amy Langendorf brought suit on behalf of “Any and all persons who purchased ‘Skinnygirl’ Margarita spirits in Illinois from March 1, 2009 until the date notice is...more