physical harm to the public isn't irreparable harm for competitor plaintiff

Nutrition Distribution, LLC v. Enhanced Athlete, Inc., 2017 WL 5467252, No. 17-cv-2069 (E.D. Cal. Nov. 14, 2017)

Defendants allegedly falsely advertised products containing 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP) to body builders, gym users, and the like. Defendants allegedly promote it as an ingestible fitness supplement that increases fat loss, despite the health dangers it poses. The plaintiff sells its own competing supplement, and sued for false advertising and RICO violations. The court found that there could be no preliminary injunction because the plaintiff hadn’t shown irreparable harm.  After eBay, the court declined to presume irreparable harm from falsity and materiality. Health harm to the public was third-party harm, relevant to the public interest but not to whether the plaintiff had shown irreparable harm to itself.  The plaintiff’s claim of lost sales since the introduction of DNP into the market didn’t show a causal connection between the two, and anyway lost sales could be remedied by money damages.