Claims that Century 21 agents sell a home every minute of every day have been banned by a judge. He ruled, though, that the real estate franchise company may still say it helps to sell a home on average every minute of every day.
The banned phrase was used in ads that the Pacific Division of Century 21 placed in the Orange County and San Diego business journals during 1992 and 1993. It departed from the more precise language that the real estate company had suggested for use by its affiliates nationwide.At the request of competitor Re-Max International, a Los Angeles federal judge granted a preliminary injunction last month to stop the ads. On July 18, Century 21 was cited for contempt of court for not implementing the injunction, Denver-based Re-Max announced in a news release this week.
Dick Loughlin, chief executive of Irvine-based Century 21 Real Estate Corp., said there was no attempt to defy the court. He said Century 21 had wanted the injunction clarified, but U.S. District Judge Alicemarie H. Stotler, who issued it, had been unavailable.
"We're going to have the same ads running - they'll just be slightly different," Loughlin said.