Judge Throws Out Some DirecTV False Advertising Claims Brought by FTC

U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam of Oakland, California, rejected some FTC false advertising claims against DirecTV that are the basis of the agency's $3.95 billion lawsuit against the satellite company. The docket 15-cv-01129-HSG order (in Pacer) Thursday responded to an oral motion by DirecTV during an August 2017 bench trial for judgment on partial findings. The judge said the trade commission didn't prove DirecTV violated Section 5(a) of the FTC Act, barring misleading of consumers, in its non-website ads since it didn't show they were likely to mislead a reasonable consumer. Gilliam said while the case regarding web-based advertising "was far from overwhelming," he would defer a determination on those claims until after the close of the evidence. The commission didn't comment. DirecTV owner AT&T emailed it's "pleased with the Court’s decision and look[ed] forward to resolving what remains of the case."