Overview
- In a May 8 ruling, an Orange County judge said the ads broke California’s false advertising and unfair competition laws and gave the charity 30 days to halt or fix them.
- The order blocks the current jingle in California unless every spot includes an audible disclosure of the charity’s Jewish affiliation, where most beneficiaries live, and the ages they serve.
- Trial testimony showed Kars4Kids sends about 60% of its funds, roughly $45 million a year, to Oorah in New Jersey while operating no functional programs in California.
- The court awarded donor Bruce Puterbaugh $250 for his 2001 Volvo, and Kars4Kids said it will seek a stay of the order and appeal the decision.
- Canada’s public broadcaster CBC said it has stopped carrying Kars4Kids ads following the California decision, while a separate federal class action against Kars4Kids and Oorah remains active.