Andrew Lustigman Quoted in Law360 on the FTC’s Ability to Seek Monetary Restitution

Andrew Lustigman, head of Olshan’s Advertising, Marketing & Promotions Practice Group, was quoted in Law360 on major upcoming U.S. Supreme Court fights concerning consumer protection, namely, the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) ability to seek monetary restitution for bad marketplace behavior under Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Specifically, the Court’s arguments scheduled for January 13 in AMG Capital Management LLC et al. v. FTC challenge allegations that payday loan companies engaged in predatory loan practices. Mr. Lustigman described disgorgement as an “enormous hammer” for the FTC, as a monetary fine equal to sales of a targeted product neglects to take into account a company's other expenses, like taxes and advertising. "There's no setoff," he explained. "They're saying you have to give up everything you took in."

Olshan Branding Management and Protection Attorneys Present Webinar on Marketing in the COVID-19 Era to the Bronx Third Avenue BID

Olshan Advertising partners Andrew Lustigman and Scott Shaffer, along with Olshan Intellectual Property partners Tamara Carmichael and Mary Grieco—all of whom are members of Olshan’s Brand Management & Protection Practice Group—will present a webinar entitled “Marketing in the COVID-19 Era” for the Bronx Third Avenue Business Improvement District on December 16 at 9am. Areas to be covered include ecommerce marketing, advertising claims, social media marketing, and data privacy, followed by a Q&A. Read More ›

The Legal 500 Publishes “United States: Pharmaceutical Advertising” Q&A by Lustigman and Spina

The Legal 500 published a Q&A authored by attorneys Andrew Lustigman and Morgan Spina, entitled “United States: Pharmaceutical Advertising” Read More ›

New York Enacts Comprehensive Automatic Renewal Law Modeled After California Law

The client alert addresses how New York has now joined other states with some of the most burdensome automatic renewal laws, enacting a sweeping law that regulates automatic renewal disclosures and cancellation procedures. Read More ›

Olshan’s Advertising Practice Provides Pro Bono Support to COVID-19 and Racial Equality Fundraiser

Olshan’s Advertising, Marketing & Promotions Practice is providing pro bono legal support on a sweepstakes run by In Good Taste, a fundraising initiative whose goal is to help ease the suffering caused by COVID-19 and racial inequality. Read More ›

Law360 Publishes Article by Scott Shaffer on Recent TCPA Rulings that Benefit Companies Facing Robocall Claims

Law360 has published an article authored by advertising partner Scott Shaffer entitled “Charter TCPA Ruling May Benefit Cos. Facing Robocall Claims.” In the article, Mr. Shaffer analyzes a recent ruling, Creasy v. Charter Communications Inc., which held that a significant portion of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is unenforceable for violations occurring between November 2015 and July 6, 2020. Read More ›

Another Court of Appeals Rules Against the FTC on Disgorgement Issue

Court reverses award of $448 million in ill-gotten gains

The Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rejected a district court’s award of $448 million against a pharmaceutical company in a lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In an antitrust case styled FTC v. AbbVie, Inc. (decided on September 30, 2020), the Third Circuit ruled that district courts lack the power to order disgorgement under the FTC Act. While the Third Circuit ruled in favor of the FTC on other issues in this case, the reversal of the disgorgement award the FTC is the focus of this blog entry. Read More ›

Federal Trial Court Rules Against Enforcement of TCPA Claims from 2015-2020

Ruling could have broad implications on thousands of pending cases

A federal district court has ruled that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is unenforceable for violations occurring between November 2015 and July 6, 2020. The trial court in Creasy v. Charter Communications, in the Eastern District of Louisiana on September 28, 2020, dismissed all asserted TCPA violations alleged to have occurred before July 6, 2020 because a portion of the TCPA was unconstitutional until the Supreme Court “fixed” it on that date. Read More ›

Webinar - Retail Marketing Compliance in Post-COVID Era

Our fast-moving webinar discussed key issues involving marketing and business practices in the current environment. Read More ›

Sweepstakes and Promotions During a Pandemic

In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, many companies have turned to online sweepstakes and promotions as a means of both promoting their brand and showing support to coronavirus relief efforts. Certainly, sweepstakes and promotions can be an effective way to achieve these dual purposes.   As we previously reported, brands that have hastily run promotions without thinking through the consequences of various events have run into a firestorm of negative publicity as well as potential class actions.  Making sure that the promotion incorporates the items below can help ensure that a promotion is legal, properly structured, and contains appropriate protections for the brand. Read More ›