In the Courts

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Two recent actions involving sellers and marketers of cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabis prove the “wellness” industry is not always so chill.

Clint Eastwood Sues CBD Companies over False Endorsements

In the first action, Clint Eastwood filed two lawsuits in federal court in Los Angeles against CBD companies and marketers, claiming the companies promoted false news…

Last week, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office filed a civil lawsuit against KNature Co., Inc. d/b/a Insan Healing, Inc. (Insan), a Los Angeles-based herbal remedy retailer, for attempting to pass off an untested radish paste as an immune-boosting, “must-have product for the protection and prevention” of COVID-19.

The product is made from a combination…

This month, actress and singer Selena Gomez filed a lawsuit in California state court against the makers of a fashion smartphone game for allegedly using her name and likeness without permission.

According to the complaint, Gomez claims that the makers of the “Clothes Forever – Styling Game” app, which lets players dress celebrity avatars, “blatantly…

Last month, Kendall Jenner was sued for copyright infringement by a woman who claims Jenner posted her copyrighted video on Instagram without permission.

The video shows Jenner walking out of a New York City building – waving and smiling at the camera and a group of fans and paparazzi gathered nearby. According to the complaint,…

Last week, a federal judge admonished a plaintiff’s lawyer for filing a second emergency motion in its trademark infringement suit to halt the sale of counterfeit unicorn drawings amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic.

On March 9, 2020, the plaintiff, Art Ask Agency, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of…

This month, an Illinois resident filed a proposed class action lawsuit in Illinois state court against the Chicago Blackhawks (the “Blackhawks”) alleging that the NHL team utilizes facial recognition technology at its home games in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”).

According to the complaint, plaintiff Keith Allen attended a Blackhawks home…

On March 5, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit heard argument on an appeal seeking to overturn judgment against contact lens distributor 1-800 Contacts (“1-800”) for antitrust violations relating to agreements with competitors on advertising keywords.  This post follows our prior coverage of this matter, and is designed to highlight the…

Artist Diana Perez filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in Colorado federal court against a cannabis company and two advertising agencies over allegations that her street mural was featured in advertisements for cannabis-infused essential oil products without her permission.

According to the complaint, Perez created the mural at issue, entitled “Besties” as a part of the…

Last month, a putative class action was filed against Starbucks, Inc. in California federal court alleging that the coffee giant is tricking customers into purchasing larger espresso-based drinks when they contain the same amount of caffeine as the smaller size.

The complaint alleges that Starbucks engages in a “classic bait-and-switch scheme that causes unsuspecting consumers…

This month, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced that it reached a settlement with the operators of a website that compares student loans and other financial products over allegations of misleading ratings and reviews.

According to the FTC’s complaint, LendEDU falsely claimed that its website provided “objective,” “accurate,” and “unbiased” information about consumer financial products,…