Lawsuits

1-800-GET-THIN Cabal Slapped With $1.3 Million Settlement Fee For False Advertising

One proposed idea
One proposed idea Photo: Deidre Miller/Flickr

The forces driving those ubiquitous 1-800-GET-THIN billboard and radio ads are being pushed to pay a $1.3 million after settling a suit over false advertising. Widely promoting lap-band surgery, Top Surgeons was really just a marketing company outsourcing procedures to other clinics, setting off a class-action lawsuit after five people died at associated facilities. Though a final decision is still pending in an L.A. court, it looks likely that the company will have to fork over a seven-figure stash, with $100,000 of it going back into billboard ads. Only this time, the placards will feature commercials detailing the risks involved with lap-band surgery. [LAT]

1-800-GET-THIN Cabal Slapped With $1.3 Million Settlement Fee For False