Opinion ID: 3049595
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Materiality of the Deception

Text: Even if an advertisement is literally false, the plaintiff must still establish materiality. Id. at 1250. In order to establish materiality, the plaintiff must demonstrate that “the defendant’s deception is likely to influence the purchasing decision.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). A plaintiff may demonstrate this by showing that “the defendants misrepresented an inherent quality or characteristic of the product.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). The district court found that the materiality of Viance’s false statements was “self-evident” because the advertisements attacked an inherent quality of MCQ, 39 namely its ability to prevent decay and preserve the structural integrity of wood. Viance challenges the element of materiality only in relation to the statements concerning Timber Products. It claims first that the district court made no finding in this regard and second that the statements concerning Timber Products were not material. The district court’s general finding of materiality appears to focus on whether statements expressing serious concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of MCQ were material. Viance has not challenged that finding insofar as it focuses on the statements regarding the safety and efficacy of MCQ. The materiality of statements regarding Timber Products is equally self-evident, however, in that the statements regarding Timber Products are actionable because those statements indicate that Timber Products verified and endorsed Viance’s concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of MCQ. Because the actionable statements regarding Timber Products are intimately tied with Viance’s concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of MCQ, those statements are material in that they misrepresent the same inherent quality or characteristic of MCQ, namely its ability to prevent decay and preserve structural integrity. Moreover, the heavy reliance on Timber Products’ independence and reputation enhances the likelihood that misrepresentation would influence purchasing decisions. Thus, the district 40 court did not clearly err in determining that the statements regarding MCQ were material.