Underground Solutions, Inc. v. Palermo

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

MATTHEW F. KENNELLY, District Judge

Underground Solutions, Inc. (UGSI) sued Eugene Palermo, asserting claims of trade libel (count 1), intentional interference with prospective economic advantage (count 2), false advertising under California law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17500 (count 3), and false advertising under the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)(1) (count 4). UGSI alleged that Palermo, as a paid spokesperson for one of UGSI’s competitors, made false or misleading statements about UGSI’s products in order to disrupt its business and divert prospective clients to…