A court filing in Hennepin County, MN on September 26, 2023 (court file no. 27-CV-23-12137), claims from 2013 to 2020, Hoglund, Chwialkowski & Mrozik P.L.L.C. n/k/a Hoglund & Mrozik, P.L.L.C. engaged in massive interstate advertising and marketing fraud spanning multiple states on its website, Google map location and lawyer listings, and by its conventional advertisements.
Here are several excerpts from the filing:
“Since 2013, the sine qua non of Hoglund’s digital marketing has been to appear large, local, and loved.”
”Hoglund falsely portrayed itself to be a ubiquitous law firm with local attorneys, local offices, and local telephone numbers in multiple states and cities when –in fact--- Hoglund employed a handful of bankruptcy lawyers who officed exclusively in its Roseville, Minnesota office/call center where all prospective client calls were received and answered.”
“Hoglund advertised more than a hundred fake offices in multiple states including Minnesota via Google Map Location Listings…Hoglund claimed to employ lawyers whom Hoglund did not employ—or whom Hoglund employed but in geographic areas where they did not practice ---via 128 false Google Map lawyer listings.”
”Hoglund removed or otherwise suspended 229 of its approximate 237 Google Map location and lawyers listings—and concomitant statements from its website to the same effect---because those willfully published listings and statements were literally and materially false.”
”Hoglund removed or “closed” no less than 101 Google Map Location listings as well as 128 Google Map lawyer listings, and corresponding statements published on its website and via television advertisements concerning its location and lawyers because they were literally and materially false.”
“Hoglund willfully advertised non-existent offices which—in reality—consisted of unaffiliated private homes and commercial businesses like an industrial machine shop and a Sherwin-Williams paint store.”
“Hoglund buried its clients’ complaints concerning its fraudulent advertising by soliciting and publishing nothing but positive reviews via “review—-gating” software, and falsely claimed five-star Google reviews for nearly all of its offices via its website when—in reality—most of its offices did not have five-star reviews.”
