Swingers Club Manager’s False Ad Ruling Reversed on Appeal (1)

The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday reversed a lower court’s false advertising judgment against the manager of a private Miami club that catered to “swingers” and allegedly advertised with photos of models and actresses without their authorization.

A federal judge in Florida incorrectly held that Joy Dorfman, the president and manager of Velvet Lifestyles LLC—which runs the club Miami Velvet—was individually liable for the plaintiff’s claims under the Lanham Act, the appeals court said.

“At best the plaintiffs show that she was linked to Velvet Lifestyles and Miami Velvet through the management structure of the several entities at play here,” a ...