Kevin Trudeau Document Index
In September 2004, Kevin Trudeau signed a consent agreement under which he agreed to pay a $2 million penalty and be banned from appearing in, producing, or disseminating future infomercials that advertise any type of product, service, or program to the public, except for truthful infomercials for books, newsletters, and other informational publications. In addition, he was prohibited from making health claims for any type of product, service, or program in any form of advertising. The current settlement also covered his companies: Shop America (USA), LLC, Shop America Marketing Group, LLC, and Trustar Global Media, Limited. An FTC official stated that the ban was "meant to shut down an infomercial empire that has misled American consumers for years."
In February 2005, Trudeau sued the FTC, claiming that its news release about the settlement was misleading and had injured his business. The FTC replied that its news release was accurate, that news releases about agency actions are not subject to judicial review, and that court acceptance of such cases might flood the court with similar cases and wreak havoc on the ability of federal agencies to communicate with the public. In August 2005, the judge agreed with the FTC and dismissed Trudeau's suit.
Meanwhile, Trudeau took full advantage of his freedom to market publications. Trudeau began using infomercials to promote a self-published a book called Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About. The infomercials claimed that the book was filled with information about cures that government agencies and drug companies don't want the public to find out about. Although this description is false, his approach resonated with enough people to drive it to the top of the New York Times bestseller list and trigger a flood of news reports about its commercial success. In 2005, the New York State Consumer Protection Board warned that the infomercials were misleading and said it would ask television stations to stop running them. Trudeau filed a suit, most elements of which have been dismissed.
In 2006, Trudeau began using infomercials to market The Weight-Loss Cure "They" Don't Want Your to Know About. The supposed "cure" was centered around the use of injections of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). However, scientific studies demonstrated that HCG injections didn't cause weight loss and regulatory actions by the FTC and FDA have curbed their use in the United States. In September 2007 the FTC charged Trudeau with violating the previous consent agreement by misrepresenting the contents of the book and asked the Illinois Federal Court to hold him in contempt.
FTC vs. Trudeau
- FTC news release: "Kevin Trudeau Banned from Infomercials" (9/7/04)
- FTC/Trudeau stipulated final order (consent agreement)
- FTC news release: Marketer Kevin Trudeau violated prior court order: Charges him with misrepresenting contents of book" (9/14/07)
Trudeau vs. FTC
- Trudeau complaint
- FTC motion to dismiss
- FTC reply memorandum in support of motion to dismiss
- Trudeau memorandum of points and authorities in opposition to motion to dismiss
- Trudeau additional reply to motion to dismiss
- Judge's memorandum opinion and order dismissing suit
Trudeau vs New York State Consumer Protection Board
Trudeau Criminal Convictions
New South Wales Department of Fair Trading vs. Trudeau and Shop America (Australasia)
This page was revised on October 9, 2007.FTC Sues Kevin Trudeau over Book