California Bans Kars4Kids Ads Over False Advertising
Judge Gassia Apkarian said the charity hid its religious ties and where donations go, and gave Kars4Kids 30 days to remove the ads.
- Last week, an Orange County Superior Court judge banned Kars4Kids from airing advertisements in California after finding the charity violated false advertising and unfair competition laws by failing to disclose its religious mission.
- The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit by California donor Bruce Puterbaugh, who testified he felt 'taken advantage of' after learning his donated Volvo funded trips to Israel and matchmaking programs through affiliated charity Oorah.
- Records indicate Kars4Kids spent $41.5 million on advertising in 2024, exceeding the $35.3 million directed to Oorah, with only 41% of total expenses reaching charitable programs.
- Kars4Kids has 30 days to remove noncompliant advertisements from California airwaves; communications director Wendy Kirman denounced the decision as 'deeply flawed' and said the charity plans to appeal.
- Similar allegations in Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Minnesota previously prompted rebukes and fines, while a separate federal class action lawsuit filed in Northern California accuses the organization of mail and wire fraud.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Orange County Court Bans Kars4Kids Jingle as Trial Reveals Donations Funded Israel Property, Trips Instead of Underprivileged Children
A California judge has permanently banned the Kars4Kids jingle from state airwaves after a full civil trial found the charity's 30-year-old car-donation ad misled donors through deliberate omission. The ruling, issued on 8 May 2026 by Judge Gassia Apkarian of the Orange County Superior Court, found that Kars4Kids violated California's False Advertising Law and Unfair Competition Law by broadcasting a jingle that said nothing about its actual mis…
Judge bars Kars4Kids from advertising, saying it misled donors about Orthodox Jewish mission
A California Superior Court judge ruled that Kars4Kids had violated the state’s false advertising and unfair competition laws by failing to disclose where it allocated funds from its donations.
CA court ruling deems Kars4Kids violated state’s false advertising law
(KRON) — “1 877 Kars 4 Kids, K-A-R-S Kars for Kids, 1-877 Kars 4 Kids, Donate your car today.” It’s a jingle that has been heard across Bay Area televisions for decades. However, the jingle may no longer be heard in households across the region and state after a California court ruled that Kars4Kids violated […]
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