While endorsement deals are a lucrative way for those in the sports and entertainment industries to cash in on their celebrity, they can also lead to liability. A recent lawsuit against Kim Kardashian and her two sisters highlights what can happen when the product you are endorsing doesn't hold up to the hype.
The $5 million lawsuit contends that the Kardashians and the makers of QuickTrim diet pills misrepresented the product's effectiveness for losing weight. The proposed class-action lawsuit was filed in a New York federal court on behalf of four plaintiffs who used the product.
As reported by Reuters, they allege that the marketing claims made by QuickTrim and by the Kardashians were "false, misleading, and unsubstantiated." They further contend there was "no competent and reliable scientific evidence supporting any of these claims."
The Kardashians are not strangers to legal disputes. In 2011, all three Kardashian sisters and their mother Kris Jenner successfully defeated a $75 million lawsuit by a credit card company after they terminated a debit card endorsement deal for the "Kardashian Kard" in response to consumer complaints about exorbitant fees.
The bottom line: Given the potential liability, endorsement agreements should always be reviewed by an experienced entertainment attorney.
Tagged as: Donald Scarinci, entertainment law, NJ attorney Scarinci, Scarinci and Hollenbeck, Scarinci Hollenbeck
