WASHINGTON—A U.S. District Court judge found Kevin Trudeau in contempt of court for violating a 2004 permanent injunction barring him from marketing products or programs via infomercials. The 2004 permanent injunction settled FTC charges that Trudeau had falsely claimed his calcium product could cure cancer and other serious diseases, in addition to a purported analgesic called Biotape that could permanently cure or relieve severe pain. The court found Trudeau violated the permanent injunction when he misrepresented the contents of his book, “The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About,” in several infomercials.
The permanent injunction, banning Trudeau from using infomercials to sell any product, service, or program, contained a narrow exemption for infomercials for books and other publications, but specifically required that Trudeau not misrepresent the content of the book. U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettelman ruled Trudeau “...has misrepresented the contents of his book by stating in his infomercials that his diet protocol was ‘easy’ and that it allowed dieters to ‘eat whatever they want,’ and he has misled thousands of consumers.” Gettleman noted Trudeau’s diet requires walking a mile each day outdoors, as well as taking 15 detoxifying colonics in a 30-day period and daily injections of a prescription drug not approved by FDA for weight loss.
The court has not determined the consequences Trudeau will face for his civil contempt in violating the permanent injunction.
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