Advertising Law

Website that facilitated sale of gun used in fatal shooting has no tort liability, 7th Circuit says

Corrected: A website that facilitated the illegal sale of a gun used to kill a woman has no liability in her death, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Chicago-based 7th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for Armslist.com on Tuesday in a suit filed by the brother of…

Aug 13, 2014 7:12 PM CDT

Judge Judy settles suit over ads with her likeness

Judge Judy has settled her suit that contended a Connecticut personal injury lawyer used her image without her authorization. Judy Sheindlin said in a statement that she and Hartford lawyer John Haymond “reached an amicable resolution of their claims against each other,” according to the Connecticut Law Tribune and TMZ.…

Aug 12, 2014 3:12 PM CDT

Feds and 15 states sue law firms and attorneys, alleging mortgage-relief scams

Federal agencies and 15 states have announced a wave of litigation against law firms, attorneys, affiliated companies and others that claimed to perform work on behalf of homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages. California attorney Stephen Siringoringo; the Florida-based firms Hoffman Law Group and Lanier Law; the Chicago-based Mortgage Law…

Jul 23, 2014 9:45 PM CDT

Bill would regulate gun ads for kids | An NTSB for death penalty cases?

The Volokh Conspiracy takes note of a bill proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives this week called the Children’s Firearm Marketing Safety Act. Among the facets of the bill are prohibitions on using cartoons to promote firearms; using brand name merchandise marketed for children (hats, T-shirts, etc.) to promote…

Jul 18, 2014 1:28 PM CDT

Lawyer sued by Judge Judy over TV ads says stations urged him to participate

Sued by Judge Judy over alleged unauthorized use of the famed TV-show jurist’s likeness in a video clip, a Connecticut lawyer says he simply participated in an advertising program when asked to do so by local stations. John Haymond says he is a fan of Judy Scheindlin’s show and was…

Jul 14, 2014 5:55 PM CDT

Suit says Chobani Greek Yogurt isn’t made in Greece and has more sugar than an ice cream bar

A deceptive-practices lawsuit (PDF) filed Thursday in Brooklyn federal court says Chobani Greek Yogurt is deceptively marketed as a healthy product, though it typically contains more sugar than a Nestle fudge ice cream bar. The yogurt lists “evaporated cane juice” as an ingredient, the suit says, even though the juice…

Jun 20, 2014 2:35 PM CDT

Food manufacturing associations challenge Vermont’s GMO labeling law

Four major manufacturing associations are seeking to invalidate Vermont’s law requiring manufacturers to disclose on labels when their products have genetically modified organisms. The Burlington Free Press reported that the groups filed a lawsuit late Thursday in Vermont federal district court. The Grocery Manufacturers Association the Snack Food Association, the…

Jun 13, 2014 7:46 PM CDT

POM Wonderful may sue over competitor’s juice label, despite FDA regulation, SCOTUS rules

POM Wonderful may challenge the labeling of a competitor’s juice product as false advertising, even though the label is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the unanimous opinion (PDF) for eight members of the court; Justice Stephen G.…

Jun 12, 2014 2:56 PM CDT

$10.1B verdict against maker of light cigarettes in 2003 is resurrected and appealed

A St. Louis lawyer who succeeded in getting an Illinois appeals court to reinstate a $10.1 billion verdict against a maker of light cigarettes is fighting to preserve the judgment. Lawyer Stephen Tillery’s $10.1 billion verdict against Philip Morris in 2003 was a record amount in Illinois, the Chicago Tribune…

Jun 10, 2014 1:48 PM CDT

Law firm websites need to step up their game for Google | Dodging spammers while using autoreply

Law firm websites that focus on keywords rather than quality content are now losing the SEO battle, the Colorado Bar Association’s SOLO in COLO writes. New Google algorithms mean that firms need to publish original, meaningful content on a regular basis. “Law-firm sites that regularly showed up on page one…

Jun 6, 2014 1:30 PM CDT

Consulting the NBA’s constitution | Big lawsuit over gift cards | Experience and lawyer discipline

Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, was suspended for life from the NBA on Tuesday over recorded racist remarks that were made public. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that he would ask the NBA Board of Governors to force a sale of the Clippers. Tuesday was the…

May 2, 2014 1:30 PM CDT

Scalia uses ‘Ministry of Truth’ example from Orwell book as SCOTUS mulls Ohio law on political lies

The U.S. Supreme Court is only being asked to decide whether an anti-abortion group has standing in federal district court to challenge an Ohio law that criminalizes political lies. But members of the nation’s top court on Tuesday couldn’t resist offering a preview of what they think about the constitutionality…

Apr 23, 2014 4:05 PM CDT

Supremes appear skeptical of Coca-Cola claim it can’t be sued over juice label blessed by FDA

Grilled by justices of the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, a lawyer for Coca-Cola Co. insisted a competitor’s false advertising suit over a juice label should be banned because the label complies with a federal agency’s regulations. But the nation’s top court appeared skeptical of this argument, amidst banter about…

Apr 22, 2014 1:10 PM CDT

Buying a General Mills product eliminates the right to sue, according to online legal terms

General Mills is requiring arbitration of legal disputes in a policy that got tougher after an adverse ruling and a newspaper inquiry. In language “quietly added” to its website, General Mills said anyone who prints a digital coupon for its products, participates in its contests, or simply joins its online…

Apr 17, 2014 3:14 PM CDT

$9B in punitives awarded in Actos drug case; jurors deliberated less than two hours

The battle between plaintiffs lawyer Mark Lanier and the makers of the Actos diabetes drug isn’t over yet. Federal jurors in Louisiana awarded $9 billion in punitive damages on Monday in Lanier’s suit claiming Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical and its American marketing partner Eli Lilly & Co. concealed the cancer…

Apr 8, 2014 5:32 PM CDT