Overview
- Published court motivations say prosecutors failed to prove buyers were Ferragni followers made vulnerable by her influence, so the aggravated fraud charge fell away.
- With the aggravating factor excluded, the case was treated as simple fraud that could not proceed after complaints were withdrawn by the civil parties.
- The judge cited competition authority findings that the campaigns used misleading messages linking purchases to charity, noting this was not an acquittal on the facts.
- Ferragni and partners had already paid about €3.4 million in donations, fines, and consumer payouts, plus €200,000 under a settlement, including €1 million to a Turin children’s hospital and €150 each to roughly 300 buyers.
- Prosecutors had alleged more than €2.2 million in unjust profit, but the court also rejected the idea that social media followers are akin to sect devotees with diminished autonomy.