Contempt charge “they” want you to know about
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
The Federal Trade Commission alleges author and infomercial personality Kevin Trudeau violated a court order issued as part of a 2004 settlement by making false representations about the weight-loss plan outlined in his book "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About." The 2004 order, which settled charges of false claims related to coral calcium and other products, banned Trudeau from using infomercials to sell any product service or program (1"The Tan Sheet" Sept. 13, 2004, In Brief). However, it allowed a narrow exemption for promoting books, provided he "not misrepresent the content of the books," FTC notes. In an infomercial, Trudeau called the book's weight-loss regimen "easy," and said when it is completed one can "eat whatever you want and you don't gain the weight back," the commission says. According to FTC, consumers buying the book "find it actually describes a complicated, expensive system involving daily injections, specialized cleanses and supplements, and severe food restrictions, followed by a 'fourth phase' of the protocol, which requires dietary restrictions and never ends." FTC's Sept. 13 brief filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois asks for Trudeau to be found in contempt and ordered to pay consumer redress...