Settlement With Pacific Magazine Billing for Misleading California Consumers

PMB Complaint, Stipulation, Judgment (PDF, 1 MB)

Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez, along with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Alameda District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman, Marin District Attorney Lori E. Frugoli, San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan, and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, announced today a settlement with Pacific Magazine Billing, along with its general partner, limited partners and an individual director. Defendants will pay $275,000 to settle the civil law enforcement complaint that alleged the defendants sent deceptively disguised solicitation mailers for magazine subscriptions and renewals that appeared to be bills or invoices for payment.

“Our Environmental and Consumer Law Division is committed to holding irresponsible businesses and individuals accountable when they mislead and harm California consumers,” said DA Rodriguez. “We are pleased that we were able to work with the California Attorney General and other California District Attorneys to stop this deceptive practice.”

The civil complaint alleged that Pacific Magazine Billing sent out tens of millions of deceptive mailers to consumers that looked like bills for existing magazine subscriptions, when the mailers were in fact solicitations designed to deceive consumers into unknowingly starting or renewing magazine subscriptions. The action was filed in San Diego County Superior Court and the judgment is pending court approval.

As part of the settlement, the defendants will be prohibited from disseminating solicitations for any magazine subscriptions, and from mailing solicitations designed as bills in any other business effort. The judgment also requires the defendants to pay $275,00 in combined civil penalties and other payments that will be used to fund the enforcement of consumer protections laws.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Matthew Cheever and Deputy District Attorney Jessica Washington were the prosecutors for the Sonoma County District Attorney.

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