Will consumers receive payments from the Kevin Trudeau settlement?
Consumers will receive payments if they previously received FTC refund checks from the this settlement, did not cash them, and have a valid email address on file. Kevin Trudeau allegedly defrauded customers through an infomercial weight loss scheme for his book “The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You To Know About.”
What did Kevin Trudeau do wrong?
Kevin Trudeau allegedly defrauded customers through an infomercial weight loss scheme for his book “The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You To Know About.” This infomercial deceived customers with misleading claims, the FTC contends.
What court found Kevin Trudeau in civil contempt?
^ a b c "Federal Court Finds Kevin Trudeau in Civil Contempt". News Release. Federal Trade Commission. November 21, 2007. Retrieved 2010-12-21. ^ "Federal Trade Commission, Plaintiff v.
How old is Kevin Trudeau?
Kevin Mark Trudeau ( / truːˈdoʊ /; born February 6, 1963) is an American author, salesman, and convicted fraudster known for promotion of his books and resulting legal cases involving the US Federal Trade Commission.
Why did Kevin Trudeau get contempt?
However, it’s the most we can give you now. The Court held Kevin Trudeau in contempt for refusing to explain where his money is . If we’re able to locate more of the money Kevin Trudeau owes or if money remains available for refunds, we may send another check to people who cashed the first one.
Where can I find more information about this case?
All of the legal documents related to this case are available on the Kevin Trudeau case page. Here are a few of the most important ones:
What did the Court decide?
The Court ruled that Kevin Trudeau’s television infomercials selling the Weight Loss Cures book were false advertising. Because the infomercials broke the law, the Court ordered Kevin Trudeau to refund many people who bought the book.
Who is Kevin Trudeau?
Kevin Mark Trudeau ( / truːˈdoʊ /; born February 6, 1963) is an American author, salesman, and convicted fraudster known for promotion of his books and resulting legal cases involving the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
What is Trudeau's second book?
His second book, More Natural Cures Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease, was self-published as well.
Why did Trudeau write "More Natural Cures Revealed"?
In More Natural Cures Revealed, Trudeau writes that workers at the FDA and FTC want to censor him and, figuratively, burn his books. Though the book received negative comments from some reviewers, it received average ratings on both Amazon and GoodReads.com.
What is Trudeau's conspiracy theory?
Trudeau offers a conspiracy theory, saying that the drug industry and the FDA work with each other to effectively deceive the public by banning all-natural cures in order to protect the profits of the drug industry. Trudeau says that FDA commissioners who leave the FDA to work for large drug companies are paid millions of dollars. In any other industry, according to Trudeau, this would be called "bribery," a "conflict of interest" or "payoffs." Trudeau also says in his infomercials that the food industry includes chemicals (such as MSG and aspartame) to get people "addicted to food" and to "make people obese."
Why did the FTC not have subject matter jurisdiction?
First, the court concluded that it lacked subject-matter jurisdiction because the press release was not "a 'final agency action'" under "section 704 of the [Administrative Procedure Act]", 5 U.S.C. § 704. Second, the court held, "in the alternative, that Trudeau's claims failed to state a viable cause of action as a matter of law."
What are the complaints about Trudeau's infomercials?
One of the major complaints about Trudeau's infomercials is that he makes only vague references to scientific studies, making them impossible to cross-check for accuracy. The same criticism exists for the anecdotal evidence that he presents in the infomercials.
When did Trudeau start the weight loss diet?
In April 2007, Trudeau released The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About. The book describes a weight loss plan originally proposed by British endocrinologist ATW Simeons in the 1950s involving injections of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The diet was criticized in 1962 by the Journal of the American Medical Association as hazardous to human health and a waste of money.
What was the FTC's settlement agreement with Trudeau?
Before the case went to trial, the FTC agreed to drop all “charges” against Trudeau and settle the case. A “Settlement Agreement” (also called a “Consent Decree” or a “ Court Order”) was negotiated between the FTC and Trudeau. In 2004, Trudeau entered into this Consent Decree in the United States District Federal Court, before Judge Gettleman.
When did Trudeau's case get dismissed?
On December 7, 2011, Judge Guzman denied Trudeau’s motion to dismiss the case based on the Speedy Trial Act, and instead granted the government’s motion to issue a new show cause order, less Gettleman’s instruction to treat the case as a misdemeanor and to cap the maximum term of imprisonment to six months.
What did Judge Gettleman find in the 2007 book?
In November 2007, following a bench trial, Judge Gettleman made a finding that Trudeau “misrepresented the contents of his book” when Trudeau uttered the word “easy” in the infomercial. Therefore, Gettleman pronounced Trudeau guilty of violating the “court order” and held him in contempt of court.
How long did Judge Gettleman oversaw the civil contempt case?
Judge Gettleman oversaw the civil contempt case for four years.
Why did Judge Gettleman recuse himself from the criminal contempt proceedings?
This request for recusal was based on the appearance of systematic bias harbored by the judge against Trudeau, including the fact that Gettleman had already stated that he “found Trudeau to have willfully violated the consent decree”, thus effectively denying Trudeau’s constitutional right to presumption of innocence, as well as a fair hearing presided by a judge acting as an unbiased arbiter of the facts.
What did Trudeau advise the FTC?
Trudeau advised the FTC that the shows would begin to air. He once again requested to advise him immediately if they had any issues whatsoever with the shows, so that any problems could be rectified without hesitation.
How long was the Trudeau trial?
In the course of the six-day trial, the government failed to produce any evidence proving that Trudeau “willfully, with intent, misrepresented the contents of the book”. The prosecutors also did not demonstrate Trudeau’s intention, state of mind, or knowledge that he was violating the order.
Avant FTC Rebates
A total of 17,367 checks worth more than a total of $3.7 million are being sent to borrowers from an FTC settlement with Avant LLC.
Kevin Trudeau Weight Loss Refunds
The FTC is sending PayPal payments to over 33,000 people harmed by a weight loss scheme.
LendingClub FTC Refunds
The FTC is sending out more than 15,700 checks totaling $10.2 million to consumers affected by LendingClub’s false promises.
When was Kevin Trudeau released from jail?
Sept. 19, 2013 — -- Former infomercial king Kevin Trudeau was released from jail today after spending one night in federal custody in Chicago.
When did Trudeau marry Babenko?
Trudeau and Babenko were married in 2008. She was 22 and Trudeau was about to get hit with the $37 million judgment. The FTC argued that Babenko was a key figure in Trudeau's attempts to dodge the penalty.
What was the penalty for Trudeau's book?
The $37 million penalty at the root of this dispute was formally entered in 2010 when Judge Gettleman ruled Trudeau had made misleading claims in infomercials for his best-selling book, "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About."
Who ordered Trudeau to report to the Metropolitan Correctional Center?
But Gettleman wasn't convinced and ordered Trudeau to report to the Metropolitan Correctional Center and to remain in federal custody.
Who was the successful businesswoman in her own right?
Trudeau's attorneys consistently claimed that Babenko , who recently completed a year of graduate film studies at New York University, was a "successful businesswoman in her own right" and that the assets of companies she owned or directed could not be used to satisfy the judgment against Trudeau. The judge didn't buy that, and placed those companies and about a dozen others under the control of the receiver.
Overview
Legal proceedings
In connection with his promotional activities he has had a felony conviction and has been an unsuccessful defendant in several US Federal Trade Commission lawsuits. Trudeau has been charged several times by agencies of the United States government for making claims without evidence. In these cases, Trudeau signed a consent decree in which he did not plead guilty but did agree to stop making the claims and to pay a fine. Trudeau subsequently began to sell books, w…
Early life
Trudeau grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts, the adopted son of Robert and Mary Trudeau. He attended St. Mary's High School in Lynn, where he was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by the class of 1981.
Career
After high school Trudeau became a used car salesman, then joined the seminar circuit, selling memory improvement techniques. In 1990 he pleaded guilty to depositing $80,000 in worthless checks and impersonating a physician, but served, he said, fewer than 30 days. In 1991, he pleaded guilty to 11 counts of credit card fraud and spent two years in federal prison.
After his release in 1993, Trudeau joined a multi-level marketing firm, Nutrition for Life. The firm …
Personal life
Trudeau has been married at least three times. Little is known about his first marriage, to Oleksandra Polozhentseva, a Ukrainian immigrant. His second union, in 2007, to Kristine Dorow, a Norwegian student whom he met in London, ended in annulment after four months. In 2008, he married Natalya Babenko, another Ukrainian, who currently runs several of his former companies. She has returned to her home in Kyiv, according to Trudeau.
Publications
In 2004, Trudeau self-published his book Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About, in which he made a number of unsubstantiated claims—for example, that sunlight does not cause cancer, sunscreen is one of the major causes of skin cancer, and that AIDS was a hoax devised as an excuse to stimulate medication usage. Trudeau further suggested—again without documentation—that various "natural cures" for serious illnesses, including cancer, herpes, arthritis,
Media interviews
Trudeau has been interviewed by CNN's Paula Zahn, Matt Lauer of NBC's Today Show, and Harry Smith of CBS's The Early Show. Trudeau was also the subject of investigative reports done by Inside Edition, ABC's 20/20 and Dateline NBC. The 20/20 segment highlighted a Nightline interview with Jake Tapper in which Trudeau misrepresented the money he was forced to pay to the government, the charges filed against him and the reason the government did not follow throug…
Infomercials
At one time, Trudeau was a prolific producer of infomercials. He consented to an FTC ban applying to everything except publications that the FTC concluded would infringe upon his First Amendment rights. All of his subsequent infomercials advertised his books, Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About and The Weight Loss Cure. Notable co-hosts included Leigh Valentine (former wife of televangelist Robert Tilton) and the late Tammy Faye Messner (the form…