Return to Perspectives
COVID-19 Legal Resource Guide
June 26, 2020

Louisiana Court Denies FTC's Motion for Temporary Restraining Order in False COVID-19 Stimulus Relief Mailer Lawsuit

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana denied the FTC’s motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against defendants Traffic Jam Events, LLC and its owner, David Jeansonne, to prevent the defendants from mailing deceptive advertisements purporting to provide COVID-19 stimulus relief to consumers. The defendants argued that issuing a TRO was unnecessary because it involved past conduct and there was no risk of continuing or future harm since they had ceased sending out the mailer at issue, the mailer was for a one-time sales event, and they did not intend to repeat the action in the future. The court ruled that since the defendants stopped sending the challenged mailer, the FTC failed to provide any evidence that the defendants are currently violating or are about to violate any provision of law enforced by the FTC. Furthermore, the court found that ongoing legal proceedings between the defendants and the Attorney General of the State of Florida involving the same mailer, as well as extensive media coverage of those proceedings, would curtail any risk of violations on defendants’ part. As a result, the court held that injunctive relief was not warranted and denied the motion.

View the decision

Authors and Editors

Related Practices

We use cookies on this website to optimize user experience and site functionality and to give you the best possible experience. We do so with your approval. The choice is up to you. Learn more.