CA Litigator Loses Bid To Curtail Consumer Legal Website

A putative class action filed by a California litigator, targeting a consumer legal marketplace that purports to “make legal easier and help people find a lawyer,” has run aground. According to the terms of a settlement that was reached in the Northern District of California, the litigator will drop the case and pay the legal fees of consumer group Avvo. The issue was not a bad review but rather, as outlined in the complaint, the claim that Avvo posts attorney profiles without the attorney’s consent and sells ads adjacent to them. Litigator Aaron H. Darsky claimed that by using attorneys’ names and profiles, Avvo was in violation of California rights of publicity and unfair competition laws.