Western Region San Francisco

The Western Region San Francisco (WRSF) has brought and litigated many national advertising cases, including a pending action alleging as unfair and deceptive AT&T’s throttling of unlimited data users that led to a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals en banc decision confirming the FTC’s common carrier exemption does not apply to non-common carrier activities. WRSF has brought other important groundbreaking advertising cases including: Wellness Support Network, challenging unsubstantiated diabetes treatment claims that resulted in a $2.2 million judgment; Nissan North America, a case challenging a TV commercial’s false demonstration of a truck’s towing ability; Sony Computer Entertainment, the first FTC case to challenge deceptive video game advertising that resulted in consumer redress of up to $20 million; and precedent-setting cases challenging social media campaigns that failed to disclose their material connection to the brands, Deutsch LA and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

The Western Region San Francisco (WRSF) sponsors many consumer outreach efforts, including hosting an Ethnic Media Conference in Fresno in 2017 and San Francisco in 2016, and an Immigration Fraud Conference in San Francisco in 2014. WRSF is also committed to educating small businesses about frauds and scams, including hosting an event in San Jose in 2017. In addition, WRSF hosts a quarterly gathering of state and local law enforcement partners and legal services groups to coordinate efforts to address emerging frauds and scams. On the antitrust front, in 2018, WRSF hosted antitrust law enforcement partners from the offices of 11 western state attorneys general to discuss shared law enforcement priorities.