Overview
- Orange County Superior Court issued a permanent injunction that blocks the Kars4Kids jingle in California unless each ad states its Orthodox identity, where funds are used, and the age of beneficiaries.
- Kars4Kids has 30 days to remove commercials that do not meet the new disclosure rules from California airwaves.
- The order bars using images of prepubescent children to raise money for adult recipients and requires a $250 reimbursement to donor Bruce Puterbaugh plus case costs.
- COO Esti Landau testified that Kars4Kids primarily funds Oorah programs in New York and New Jersey, runs no substantive programs in California beyond a backpack giveaway, and has paid for gap-year trips to Israel, a $16.5 million building, and $437,000 in outreach.
- The charity denounced the decision and said it will appeal, while prior penalties in Pennsylvania and Oregon and a separate federal class action in Northern California add to the legal pressure.