BEVERLY HILLS : Modeling School Owner Agrees to $50,000 in Fines
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The owner of a Beverly Hills modeling and acting school agreed Wednesday to pay $50,000 in fines for allegedly using misleading advertising to promote his business.
In settling a lawsuit brought by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, James K. Lord also agreed to operate his Beverly Hills Studios according to terms laid out in a court order, a spokesman for the office said.
The city said Lord did advertising that “could mislead the public into believing that his model and talent searches were cost-free casting calls,” when he intended to charge fees for the service.
Deputy City Atty. P. Greg Parham said the defendant also misrepresented to potential clients the employment and salary opportunities that would be made available to them.
A complaint from one of Lord’s competitors prompted the investigation of Beverly Hills Studios, formerly known as Powers Development Center and John Robert Powers of Beverly Hills, according to the city attorney’s office.
As part of the inquiry, undercover investigators from the Consumer Protection Unit posed as participants in Lord’s talent searches.
Under the settlement signed Wednesday by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Horowitz, Lord must pay $38,000 in civil fines plus $12,000 in other damages.
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