This is a serious question:
A politician makes promises during an election campaign that are widely reported by the media and captured in advertisements and interviews. These promises form part of the platform that gets the politician elected.
Once in power, however, the politician either breaks their word or does something completely opposite what they’ve promised earlier.
Can the public then open class action suits against the politician (or the political party) for fraud or false advertising?
Fraud: A knowingly wrong act or deceitful representation.
false ad⋅ver⋅tis⋅ing n. The crime or tort of publishing, broadcasting, or otherwise publicly distributing an advertisement that contains an untrue, misleading, or deceptive representation or statement which was made knowingly or recklessly and with the intent to promote the sale of property, goods, or services to the public
I was thinking about this a lot recently. There’s no real accountability for broken campaign promises, but if the public could sue a politician for fraud or false advertising, that might make a politician think twice before opening their mouths…
What do you think?
