CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A federal judge has dismissed a complaint filed by the South Carolina Shrimpers Association that accused 40 Charleston-area restaurants of falsely advertising local wild-caught shrimp.
South Carolina District Court Judge Richard Gergel dismissed the suit on Monday, accusing numerous local restaurants, including Saltwater Cowboys, Pearlz Oyster Bar, and others, of false advertising and deceptive trade practices under the Lanham Act.
The Lanham Act, enacted by Congress in 1946, allows for civil liability in cases of false advertising. The state shrimpers’ association claimed that, as a result of the seller’s misrepresentations, sales were diverted from local shrimpers, causing detrimental impacts to the local shrimping industry…