Watch out, David Manning: Blurbmeisters get sued

HOLLYWOOD, California (Reuters) -- Ten class-action lawsuits were filed against Hollywood studios on Monday, alleging members of the public are duped when they read favorable blurbs in movie ads from critics who have been wined and dined on lavish press junkets, Variety reports.

The complaints, filed in L.A. Superior Court by four individual plaintiffs and a group called Citizens for Truth in Movie Advertising, allege the defendants promote their product with ads that use endorsements by film critics as the focal element. The studios named were Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros., MGM, Sony, Universal, Fox, DreamWorks, Artisan and Lions Gate,

Individuals named as reviewers in the complaints include Maria Salas, Jim Ferguson, Jeff Craig, Mark S. Allen, Ron Brewington and Earl Dittman.

The six are not defendants in the lawsuit but are cited as examples of reviewers who have been frequently quoted over the years in newspaper and TV ads for the films. The critics work for various, unrelated outlets: for example, Salas at Telemundo/Gems Television, Dittman at Wireless magazine and Brewington at American Urban Radio Network.

According to the complaints, defendants pay some or all expenses incurred by the reviewers on press junkets, including airfare, meals and hotels. Reviewers also get free merchandise and a chance to interview celebrities, the complaints add, and the defendants do not acknowledge in any of their advertisements that reviewers have received these benefits.

The complaints allege fraudulent concealment, unfair business practices under California law and false and misleading advertising in violation of California law. The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages and an injunction prohibiting the defendants from continuing with their allegedly misleading advertising.

The plaintiffs, who are seeking class-action status, are represented by Anthony Sonnett and Stephanie Hingle of Yukevich & Sonnett.

The practice of studios hosting media junkets and the use of reviewers' quotes in film advertisements have been common for decades. In recent months, however, some studio marketing practices have come under fire, including Sony's creation of a fake critic for ad blurbs and its use of studio employees in testimonial ads.

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