A company that promotes Lap-Band weight-loss surgery has agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle a false-advertising lawsuit in Southern California, with some of the money going to billboards warning the public about the risks of weight-loss surgery.
The Los Angeles Times reported that from 2009 to 2011 five patients died after Lap-Band surgeries at clinics affiliated with the 1-800-GET-THIN ad campaign.
Relatives of two of the dead patients, Ana Renteria and Laura Faitro, filed the lawsuit as a class action in 2011.
The proposed settlement, to be paid by the Top Surgeons company, still needs the approval of a Los Angeles County judge. A hearing is scheduled Thursday.
The proposed deal calls for $100,000 to be spent on advertising throughout Southern California explaining the risks of the procedure.
Topics Lawsuits
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