The Campbell Law Difference

Campbell Law PC, A Purpose-Filled Practice™, is respected nationally as a leader in the litigation of fraudulent activity by pest control companies. However, the firm’s extensive track record of success in holding the feet of pest control companies to the fire actually has its roots in fraudulent activities in the wood furniture manufacturing industry. When you shop for furniture and see careful disclosures wood or processes are used you probably have Campbell Law PC’s predecessor firm, Campbell & Baker LLP to thank.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Campbell Law PC played a vital role in cleaning up the advertising practices of the American wood furniture manufacturing industry and specifically the false advertising claims of the wood content in their furniture. “They would claim a certain piece of furniture was made of solid cherry or mahogany when it was actually made of out sweetgum or some other inferior type of wood,” Tom Campbell of the Campbell Law PC says.

Campbell pled those cases under the various state’s Deceptive Trade Practice Act. In the Act itself, the legislative intent is laid out as a consumer protection program looking out for the best interests of the public and the businessperson. “The public health, welfare and interest require a strong and effective consumer protection program to protect the interest of both the consuming public and the legitimate businessperson,” is the stated purpose of these statutes. “Both consumers and honest business persons are hurt by businesses that use deceptive or illegal practices” Campbell explains.

In a series of cases, Campbell Law was able to use the Act to force manufacturers and marketers of furniture to align their product with their promise. “We were able to, for the most part, clean up that industry,” Campbell says, “and have them either start making their furniture out of what they claimed it was made out of or to start accurately advertising what it was really made out of.”

The years spent honing a unique depth and understanding of the State Deceptive Trade Practices Acts in wood furniture advertising cases many years ago caused us to understand that all Americans – liberal, conservative, rich and poor have a common interest in making sure a business competes fairly in our free enterprise system. Dishonest businesspersons should not be given an advantage over righteous ones. The first furniture case started because Mr. Campbell’s law partner’s college friend tried to start a legitimate wood furniture making business. He could not compete because competitors undercut his pricing. Campbell says, “One day a competitor laughed at him for actually using solid cherry to make his furniture and said, ‘Man nobody uses real cherry what are you thinking, consumers do not know the difference.’”

This expertise is especially helpful when it comes to fraudulent activity by pest control companies. “What we do in our cases that most lawyers don’t know how to do is to prove that they a pest control company didn’t do a proper termite treatment at our client’s house, and that they didn’t do that as a matter of pattern and practice,” Campbell says. “And we know how to audit their files and the questions to ask their employees to prove that that is what happened. And then we are able to not just plead it as an ordinary fraud case, we allege and then prove that the business is using a crooked scheme to cheat property owners and good pest control companies they compete against.” And the difference can be worth a considerable financial difference to the client.

Most lawyers who represent an injured person or consumer are scared to have small business owners on the jury. Campbell says, “We love to have small business owners and their lawyers decide our cases. I routinely used to represent business large and small. Nobody dislikes a dishonest businessperson more than another business owner or his lawyer. They know how hard it is to make an honest buck but how easy it is to cheat – especially when selling a service where your customer lacks the ability to know if you do the job right.”

Campbell Law continues to push the boundaries to explore the most effective means possible of getting justice for those defrauded by the deceptive practices of those in the pest control industry. If you have been taken advantage of by a Pest Control Company, call toll free 877-586-7582 or 205-278-6650. You can reach Tom Campbell directly at 205-567-6490 or Keiron McGowin at 205-397-0308.