Advertising Law

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

An attorney in Newark, N.J., has vowed to appeal a recent U.S. district court ruling that his law firm’s website may not post excerpts from judicial opinions praising the quality of his work on various cases. The Dwyer Law Firm primarily represents employees pursuing claims against their employers. Shortly after…

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

Hungry lawyers, health-conscious clients make Bay Area ground zero in Big Food fight

The same lawyers who once took on the tobacco industry are now waging legal war against so-called Big Food makers in half a dozen states. But the San Francisco Bay Area, known for its health-conscious foodie residents, is ground zero for such litigation, which hungry lawyers have pursued in dozens…

Sep 10, 2013 10:24 AM CDT

No end to food fight in California federal courts over alleged mislabeling

The food industry is fighting dozens of mislabeling suits filed in federal courts in California’s Northern District, but so far it has not been able to win dismissal of any of the complaints at an early stage. The Bay area is “now home to the nation’s Food Court,” the San…

Sep 4, 2013 10:55 AM CDT

Suit claims Campbell’s soup misleads with ‘Heart-Check Mark’

A class action lawsuit claims some of Campbell’s Healthy Request soups don’t live up to the American Heart Association’s nutritional guidelines, though they carry the AHA’s “Heart-Check Mark.” The soups contained more sodium than recommended by the AHA’s noncommercial nutritional guidelines, according to the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Camden,…

Aug 16, 2013 10:45 AM CDT

New fair housing trial ordered over Craigslist ad touting ‘great bachelor pad’ apartment

A fair housing group has been granted a new trial in a suit against an apartment rental company that placed a Craigslist ad touting a rental unit as “a great bachelor pad for any single man looking to hook up.” The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a…

Aug 8, 2013 10:45 AM CDT

Is Instant Krazy Glue good for wood? Suit says confusing packaging is still on store shelves

Two Detroit-area consumers have sued the makers of Instant Krazy Glue, citing bad labeling that makes it difficult to discern whether the product works on wood. According to the false advertising suit, which seeks class action status, the consumers were misled by the front of the Krazy Glue package, which…

Jul 29, 2013 1:44 PM CDT

Is Lance Armstrong using a ‘shameless’ defense in Postal Service bid to recover marketing bucks?

Is cyclist Lance Armstrong offering a “shameless” legal defense in a motion to dismiss a $120 million whistleblower suit? That’s the contention of a Bloomberg BusinessWeek editor, who says Armstrong’s claim is “part of the great American legal tradition of offering shameless defense arguments.” The suit against Armstrong, initially filed…

Jul 25, 2013 2:15 PM CDT