SFBBG prevailed on a fraud claim in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. On behalf of a leading distributor of beauty products, SFBBG asserted claims for common law fraud and fraudulent concealment against a longtime industry professional who had mispresented the provenance of a beauty line she was hired to market. In reliance on her statements, the Firm’s client purchased and resold goods from the line to a national retail outlet.

Despite receiving a notice of infringement from the manufacturer who held the trademark, the professional kept the information to herself, allowing the transaction to proceed. The scheme was eventually uncovered, leading SFBBG’s client to refund the monies received from the retail outlet. After hearing two days of testimony and considering the parties’ post-trial briefs, the court entered judgment in favor of the Firm’s client on Nov. 20. The six-figure award, which included lost profits, was obtained by SFBBG attorneys Rich Goldwasser and Matt Tyrrell.