California is pulling the plug on thewildly recognizable Kars4Kids jingleafter an Orange County judge ruled the charity’s ads misled donors about who actually benefits from their money.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian found that the organization violated California false advertising and unfair competition laws by failing to disclose that donations primarily fund Orthodox Jewish programs tied to Oorah Inc., a New York and New Jersey-based outreach organization.
The ruling was published May 8 and comes after California resident Bruce Puterbaugh sued the charity in 2021, claiming he donated his car after repeatedly hearing the famous ad and believed the proceedswould help underprivileged childrenin California.
Instead, Puterbaugh learned the $250 generated from his donated vehicle went to programs connected to Oorah, which focuses on Jewish heritage camps and religious outreach.
According to the ruling, Kars4Kids Chief Operating Officer Esti Landau testified that the charity’s “primary function” is funding Oorah’s programs.
Landau also testified that although about 25% of Kars4Kids’ revenue comes from California, the organization has virtually no meaningful programs benefiting children in the state beyond a backpack drive described in court as a “branding exercise.”
The court further heard that Kars4Kids funding was not primarily directed toward young children in need.
Instead, money supported older teens, including 17- and 18-year-olds participating in gap-year trips to Israel and related family programming.
Testimony also revealed that $16.5 million was spent in 2022 on a building purchase in Israel, while another $437,000 went toward “Middle East outreach.”
Judge Apkarian ruled the commercials were “misleading by omission” because they failed to disclose the organization’s religious affiliation, where the money was spent, and the actual age range of beneficiaries.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
