“The Boston Herald reported today that a federal judge awarded the Federal Trade Commission nearly $50 million in damages in its case against Donald Barrett. Mr. Barrett is an infomercial pitchman who hawked his “Coral Calcium” and “Supreme Greens” dietary supplements on late night television.”
Posts Tagged ‘false advertising’
Despite tv ads, coral calcium doesn’t cure cancer
August 16, 2009iPhone sued for false advertising
August 1, 2009“Apple and AT&T Mobility’s 3G iPhone does not deliver on advertised promises, a class action claims in St. Louis County Court. The class claims they get error messages when they try to send a picture to another cell phone through the advertised Multimedia Messaging Service. ”
FTC gets RiteAid to settle false advertising suit
July 14, 2009“National pharmacy chain Rite Aid Corporation has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle FTC
charges that it deceptively advertised that its “Germ Defense” tablets and lozenges could prevent and treat colds and the flu or reduce the severity and duration of these illnesses. Rite Aid marketed the Germ Defense products by touting their similarity to “Airborne” products. The FTC also has charged Rite Aid’s supplier, Improvita Health Products, Inc., with false and deceptive advertising in an ongoing case.”
Class action lawsuit: Sears free delivery isn’t
April 23, 2009Sears Roebuck advertises “free delivery” for appliances that cost $399 or more, but then charges $75 for delivery and makes customers fill out a form to get a “rebate,” and sometimes delays the rebate for 3 months or more or never sends it, a class action claims in Middlesex County Court.
FTC: Kellogg’s must stop false cereal claims
April 22, 2009“Kellogg Company, the world’s leading producer of cereal, has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that advertising claims touting a breakfast of Frosted Mini-Wheats as “clinically shown to improve kids’ attentiveness by nearly 20%” were false and violated federal law. The proposed settlement bars deceptive or misleading cognitive health claims for Kellogg’s breakfast foods and snack foods and bars the company from misrepresenting any tests or studies.
According to the FTC’s complaint, Kellogg claimed in a national advertising campaign – including television, print, and Internet advertising, as well as product packaging – that a breakfast of Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal is clinically shown to improve children’s attentiveness by nearly 20 percent. The complaint alleges that, in fact, according to the clinical study referred to in Kellogg’s advertising, only about half the children who ate Frosted Mini-Wheats for breakfast showed any improvement in attentiveness, and only about one in nine improved by 20 percent or more. ”
Reading Tea Leaves by Randy Wilson 