A California judge has banned all advertisements for the children's charity Kars4Kids in the state, ruling that its famous jingle misled donors about how their money was used. The decision, published on 8 May, found the New Jersey-based organisation had violated false advertising laws.
The ruling follows a lawsuit filed in 2021 by Bruce Puterbaugh, who said he donated his car after hearing the infectious Kars4Kids jingle repeatedly on local radio. The tune, which urges listeners to call 1-877-Kars4Kids, has been a staple of US airwaves for nearly two decades.
Court documents showed that donations were not used to help underprivileged children across the US, as implied by the ad, but instead funded Oorah Inc., a Jewish non-profit that runs summer camps and gap-year trips to Israel for teenagers. Money was also used to purchase a $16.5 million building for Oorah in Israel.
Puterbaugh told the court he felt "taken advantage of by the ad and information that was not there". The charity's chief operating officer, Esti Landau, acknowledged that the advert made no mention of any religious affiliation. In her ruling, Judge Gassia Apkarian wrote that "money cannot 'un-donate' a car or restore the donor's belief that they were helping a local, needy child".
Kars4Kids was ordered to pay $250 in restitution and given 30 days to cease all non-compliant broadcasting in California. The charity said it would appeal, calling the decision "deeply flawed" and insisting its website makes its Jewish identity clear. It added that it helps thousands of children, including hundreds in California.
