Kars4Kids jingle can remain on airwaves in California after appeals court ruling

LOS ANGELES -- The long-running Kars4Kids' advertising jingle can stay on California airwaves - for now - after the latest court ruling Thursday.

An appeals court ruled that Kars4Kids ads can stay on the air in California while the appeals process plays out, according to a Kars4Kids spokesperson.

Last month, Orange County Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian ruled that the ad violates the state's false advertising law and ordered the nonprofit to stop airing them in their current form.

The May 8 decision targeted the charity's widely known commercials - including the familiar "1-877-Kars4Kids" refrain.

"Kars4Kids applauds today's court ruling allowing its ads to continue airing in California while the appeals process continues," spokesperson Wendy Kirwan said in a statement Thursday. "Kars4Kids' programs benefit a wide array of children and teenagers in California and beyond.

"The uninterrupted airing of its ads will enable the charity to continue funding its programs for children and families. We believe the lower court's findings on the facts and the law were deeply flawed, and we look forward to pursuing a broad appeal of that decision."

According to Apkarian, the organization's ads misled donors by implying that funds supported needy children broadly, when the vast majority of money raised by Kars4Kids was instead directed to another nonprofit that funneled money to Orthodox Jewish programs in New York, New Jersey and the Middle East.

The appeal stems from a lawsuit filed by an Orange County man who said he donated a car believing the proceeds would help underprivileged children across the country.