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The court filing in Hennepin County, Minnesota, dated September 26, 2023 (case number 27-CV-23-12137), alleges that the law firm Hoglund, Chwialkowski & Mrozik P.L.L.C., now known as Hoglund & Mrozik, P.L.L.C., engaged in widespread fraudulent advertising and marketing practices from 2013 to 2020 across multiple states. The lawsuit claims the firm's digital marketing strategy was designed to make it appear significantly larger and more local to clients than it actually was. Despite promoting itself as a law firm with a broad network of local attorneys and offices across several states and cities, Hoglund allegedly operated primarily from a single office in Roseville, Minnesota, which also served as a call center. The firm is accused of advertising over a hundred fictitious offices on Google Maps and listing 128 lawyers in locations where they either did not practice or were not employed by Hoglund. This led to the removal or suspension of 229 out of approximately 237 Google Map locations and lawyer listings due to their being "literally and materially false." The lawsuit also claims that Hoglund falsely advertised non-existent offices, some of which were actually private homes or unrelated businesses, like an industrial machine shop and a Sherwin-Williams paint store. Additionally, Hoglund is accused of manipulating its online reviews. The firm allegedly buried client complaints by using "review-gating" software to ensure only positive feedback was visible, falsely boosting its online reputation with claims of near-universal five-star Google reviews for its offices, most of which did not actually have such high ratings.

ST CLOUD, Minn., April 4, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Hennepin County, MN – 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 Law's digital marketing has been to appear large, local, and loved."
• "Hoglund Law 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 Law employed a handful of bankruptcy lawyers whom officed exclusively in its Roseville, Minnesota office/call center where all prospective client calls were received and answered."
• "Hoglund Law advertised more than a hundred fake offices in multiple states including Minnesota via Google Map Location Listings…Hoglund Law claimed to employ lawyers whom Hoglund Law did not employ—or whom Hoglund Law employed but in geographic areas where they did not practice ---via 128 false Google Map lawyer listings."
• "Hoglund Law 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 Law 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 Law 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 Law 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."

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SOURCE Lifeback Law Firm