SCOTUS to decide if Pom Wonderful may challenge competitor’s label under federal law

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider Pom Wonderful’s right to challenge the labeling of a Coca-Cola juice product under federal trademark law. Pom claimed Coca-Cola’s pomegranate blueberry juice consisted mainly of apple and grape juice, report Reuters and the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.). At issue is whether…

Jan 13, 2014 3:20 PM CST

Law firm sues Florida Bar over rules restricting what legal websites and blog posts can say

A law firm has sued the Florida Bar and several of its officials, claiming that its legal ethics rules restricting law firm website content and what can be said in blog posts by attorneys are unconstitutional. Filed Wednesday in federal court in Tallahassee by Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley…

Dec 13, 2013 9:00 PM CST

Infomercial king Kevin Trudeau guilty of contempt for violating FTC consent decree

A federal jury in Chicago has reached a verdict almost immediately after a trial concluded Tuesday in a criminal contempt case against a diet book author and television infomercial king. Kevin Trudeau, 50, is guilty of violating a decade-old consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission over his marketing of…

Nov 12, 2013 9:29 PM CST

Virginia Supreme Court holds that advertising rules may be applied to a lawyer’s blog

Nov 1, 2013 7:30 AM CDT

NYC agrees to ban tobacco sales to those under 21

A planned New York City ban on supersize sugary drinks was nixed by the judicial branch. However, the city council on Wednesday passed what was described as life-saving legislation to ban sales of tobacco products to those under 21. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has said he will sign the bill,…

Oct 31, 2013 8:15 PM CDT

Referral site that connects clients with lawyers instantly, online or by phone, raises $690K

Lawdingo, a new lawyer referral service offering a “get a call now” feature that puts potential clients in touch with subscribers instantly, recently received $690,000 in angel investor funding. That brings total funding from investors up to $850,000, TechCrunch.com reports. In March, LawDingo founder Nikhil Nirmel announced that his company…

Oct 30, 2013 7:15 PM CDT

Law firm sued over claimed use of competitor’s name as Google AdWords

A Florida law firm has sued a competing personal injury shop over its alleged use of the plaintiff firm’s name as Google Adwords to drive search-engine traffic. Filed in Miami, the federal lawsuit brought by high-profile plaintiffs firm Steinger, Iscoe & Greene against attorney Paul K. Schrier asserts claims for…

Oct 22, 2013 9:00 PM CDT

Infomercial king avoids jail, for now, because of contempt hearing delay caused by shutdown

TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau, accused of misleading viewers with claims about his weight loss book, may be grateful for the government shutdown. Trudeau faced a contempt hearing today for failing to pay a $37 million judgment in a deceptive marketing case brought by the Federal Trade Commission. But FTC lawyers…

Oct 4, 2013 11:54 AM CDT

Federal district court cautions lawyers to be careful about repeating judges’ compliments

Oct 1, 2013 8:20 AM CDT

Is Florida too tough on lawyers using LinkedIn and Twitter? Endorsements and short skirts targeted

Orlando lawyer Luis Gonzalez has no plans to block endorsements on LinkedIn, no matter what the new Florida ethics rules require. “I’m not changing a damn thing,” he tells the Daily Business Review. “I want the bar to come after me. I’m 61 years old, and I’m not going to…

Sep 30, 2013 10:45 AM CDT

Lawyers among those who paid for fake online reviews; probe leads to settlements with 19 companies

Investigators for the New York Attorney General’s office scoured Craigslist and posed as the owner of a yogurt shop to uncover companies that sought fake online reviews or offered to write them for clients. As a result of the findings, 19 companies have agreed to stop writing fake reviews—a process…

Sep 23, 2013 3:15 PM CDT

Woman sues after her photo is juxtaposed with ‘I am positive’ in HIV awareness ad

A “mortified” Brooklyn woman has sued a stock-photo house after a portrait of her from a 2011 photo shoot ended up in an HIV rights awareness advertisement with the tagline: “I am positive. I have rights.” Erin Lloyd, the plaintiff’s lawyer, told the New York Daily News that her client,…

Sep 20, 2013 9:00 PM CDT

Self-published $10 law school casebook a good deal for buyer and seller, co-author says

Few legal experts author law school casebooks expecting to make money. However, two law professors have reportedly increased their profit margin—and cut the purchase price to a tiny fraction of what a standard casebook costs—by self-publishing their 800-page volume online. The ebook, Advertising & Marketing Law: Cases and Materials, is…

Sep 18, 2013 6:40 PM CDT

A $4.2M mistake? Lawyer is liable for faxing ‘mundane advice’ to accountants, 7th Circuit says

An Illinois lawyer who faxed newsletters to more than 200 accountants with “mundane advice” along with his specialties and contact information could be on the hook for millions of dollars in damages as a result of a federal appeals court ruling. Lawyer Gregory Turza violated federal law banning unsolicited fax…

Sep 16, 2013 10:30 AM CDT

Yelp sues bankruptcy law firm, alleging it posted fake positive reviews

A San Diego bankruptcy law firm accused of using employees to post fake reviews on Yelp.com is being sued by the review site, which claims the alleged actions violated its terms of service contract. The San Diego Superior Court action charges breach of contract, intentional interference with contractual relations, unfair…

Sep 10, 2013 7:20 PM CDT