Energizer False Advertising Suit Runs Out of Juice at 9th Circuit - The 9th Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a class action lawsuit alleging that Energizer falsely advertised its AA MAX batteries as "up to 50% longer...more
On May 28, 2024, Chief Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu, of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, certified a class of consumers in an action against Barilla Foods....more
Late last month, San Francisco resident Kirstin Cobbs initiated a class action lawsuit against poppi after purchasing its product, poppi prebiotic soda, believing the product to be “gut healthy.” Poppi sodas are packaged in...more
Huggies Diaper Evidence Not a Good "Fit" for #1 Claim, NAD Says - Huggies claimed its diapers were the #1 Best Fitting, a broad claim requiring broad evidence against the market—evidence that the National Advertising...more
In Short - The Situation: In the last month, two courts in the Ninth Circuit allowed human rights focused cases to proceed beyond the pleading stage. These cases seek to impose liability on U.S.-based companies for alleged...more
The National Advertising Division (NAD) referred the website Smarter-Reviews.com (Smarter Reviews) to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on suspicion of publishing advertising disguised as editorial content because it lacks...more
Our weekly roundup aims to keep our readers up to date on recent notable rulings in the food & consumer packaged goods space. - Makiko Fukaya v. Daiso California LLC et al., No. 3:23-cv-00099-JSC (N.D. Cal. – May 11, 2023):...more
On June 11, 2022, Plaintiffs Matthew Sinatro and Jessica Prost filed a class action lawsuit in the Northern District of California against the Barilla pasta company over alleged false advertising....more
A class action lawsuit filed against Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather, and former professional basketball player Paul Pierce earlier this month underscores the need for celebrity endorsers to take care when they approach any...more
In a recent decision in Gray v. Dignity Health, the California Court of Appeal analyzed the impact of the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (“EMTALA”) statute, and similar provisions of California law,...more
What Does It Mean to "Buy" Digital Content? On August 13, 2020, David Andino sued Apple Inc. (Apple) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California for violations of three California state laws: 1)...more
Takeaway: Context matters in false advertising class actions. Factors such as how an allegedly false representation is displayed, where it is displayed, and what else is disclosed on the label or advertisement all can...more
Takeaway: One of the most effective tools for a business to reduce its exposure to class action litigation is to include compulsory arbitration provisions and class action waivers in customer-facing contracts. But there are...more
In September 2018, a consumer filed a putative class action in California against Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. The consumer alleged that the company is participating in deceptive business practices by marketing,...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
Takeaway: Federal courts sitting in diversity are supposed to apply state law. There is a critical distinction, however, between substantive rights created by state law, on the one hand, and remedies (especially equitable...more
Last month, a California court, for a second time, dismissed a class action complaint asserting that Ghirardelli’s advertising for its “Classic White” “Premium Baking Chips” created the false impression that the product...more
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA or Act) went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. A first-of-its-kind law in the United States, the CCPA grants California residents expansive rights over businesses' collection, use and...more
Earlier this month, the Ninth Circuit held that state law cannot expand or confine a federal court’s power to issue equitable restitution because federal courts are bound by traditional equitable principles, which require,...more
Several months into the widespread business closures and event cancellations resulting from the COVID 19 pandemic, we have seen businesses adopt a range of strategies to respond. Those strategies, in addition to the closures...more
The Ninth Circuit affirmed dismissal of a consumer fraud class action pursuing restitution under California’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL) because the plaintiff failed to show she lacked an adequate legal remedy. Sonner v....more
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
A California federal judge tossed a proposed class action against allegedly “worthless” biotin dietary supplements on preemption grounds earlier this week, citing the Ninth Circuit’s recent decision in Dachauer v. NBTY, Inc.,...more
As we have reported in our previous blog posts (“Beware the “Influencer”” and “The Price of Natural Cosmetics”), courts continue to wrestle with challenges to manufacturers’ claims that their products are “all natural.”...more
In a unanimous decision that will make it easier for plaintiffs in California state courts to obtain class certification, the California Supreme Court ruled that the ascertainability requirement for certification of class...more