Washington Attorney General (AG) Bob Ferguson prevailed in his lawsuit against a plastic surgery practice, Allure Esthetic, and its owner, Dr. Javad A. Sajan (collectively, the company), alleging violations of the federal...more
Negative online reviews are a concern for many businesses—but they present a unique challenge for healthcare providers, who are restricted by federal and state privacy laws in how to respond. Is the answer to have patients...more
On September 9, 2014, then-Governor Jerry Brown of California signed into law Assembly Bill No. 2365. The law, which went into effect in January of 2015, prohibits contracts for the sale or lease of consumer goods from...more
In recent weeks, class action plaintiffs have brought a new tranche of lawsuits challenging companies’ online terms and conditions. In them, plaintiffs allege that the terms violate California’s law prohibiting contracts for...more
Reviews Can Drive Business - Reviews matter. In a survey conducted by Yelp, 83% of consumers who read reviews say they trust online reviews about local businesses. However, fake reviews may mislead consumers. Recently,...more
One of the downsides of working with the public is that sometimes the public will be disappointed with the service you offer. And in this era of the internet, the number one remedy consumers have is to complain about...more
Third-Party Review Services are a Focus- On January 25, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Fashion Nova LLC will be prohibited from suppressing customer reviews of its products and required to pay $4.2 million to...more
COVID-19 has increased the already dizzying amount of online sales, making the applicable marketing requirements increasingly important. These rules affect not just how companies advertise and promote products and services...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: FTC publishes proposed consent order with cosmetic company that posted fake customer reviews but some FTC commissioners place doubt on its effectiveness because there is no financial penalty....more
The FTC recently brought action against two companies for including non-disparagement provisions that bar or impose financial penalties on consumers for writing negative reviews in their form contracts, without a meaningful...more
By now, virtually all companies understand the importance and power of consumer reviews, both for and against them, and reviews of their competitors. Especially since negative reviews dampen purchases, companies often attempt...more
FTC Takes Aim at Two More (Alleged) CRFA Violators - Commission claims real estate contracts tried to mum consumers - And You Thought the Beat Slowed Down? In a story from about a month ago, we wrote that the Federal...more
Charities- California Attorney General Sues International Assistance Charity Over Allegedly Misleading Reporting Scheme and Deceptive Solicitations- California AG Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit against international...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which enforces federal consumer protection and antitrust laws with the goal of promoting competition while protecting consumers from fraud, deception, and unfair business practices, has...more
The FTC today announced two new actions under the Consumer Review Fairness Act against companies (CRFA) that allegedly used non-disparagement provisions in consumer form contracts in connection with selling their respective...more
The Consumer Review Fairness Act was enacted in 2016 to protect consumers’ ability to share their opinions about businesses. In general, the law prohibits companies from using form contracts that: (a) prohibit or restrict...more
We’ve blogged a few times about consumers’ rights to post negative reviews online, and what businesses should know about the Consumer Review Fairness Act (the “CRFA”), but what happens if you are lucky enough to receive so...more
Trolls aren’t just fictional creatures living under bridges in fairy tales – today they are anonymous but highly visible creatures plaguing individuals and businesses on social media. They’re angry, vindictive and financially...more
On December 14, 2016 the United States Congress passed an act known as the “Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016” (“CRFA”). The stated goal of this new legislation is “to prohibit the use of certain clauses in form contracts...more
Late last year, the Consumer Fairness Review Act became law, placing new restrictions on what companies can include in form contracts that impede consumers’ ability to communicate honest reviews of products, services, and...more
In a recent blog post, we introduced you to the new Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA), which prohibits businesses from including non-disparagement or “gag” clauses in their form contracts. The CRFA goes into effect...more
A new federal law pertaining to customer reviews means companies may soon need to revise their standard-form contracts or website conditions of use with customers who purchase goods or services. The Consumer Review Fairness...more
Late last year, President Obama signed into law the Consumer Review Fairness Act (“CRFA”). Intended to protect individuals who write unflattering online reviews of businesses, the CRFA voids contractual provisions in form...more
In the digital age, online reviews of a business are often the first place consumers turn to in order to gather information about a business, such as a restaurant, retail store or even a professional service provider. It is...more
A new federal law provides protection for US consumers who post negative reviews online.1 The Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016 (the "Act") prohibits companies from including provisions in their form agreements that ban or...more