GBV Attorneys Win Bid Protest Dispute Before the New Jersey Appellate Division Involving a $21 Million Anti-Smoking State Advertising Contract

Through the efforts of GBV Partner, Kathleen Barnett Einhorn, and Counsel, Rebecca Moll Freed, our client, Winning Strategies Public Relations, was awarded a three-year, $21 million anti-smoking advertising contract by the State of New Jersey. The contract was initially awarded to Winning Strategies Public Relation in July of 2007. Another bidder, Cedar Knolls advertising firm, Brushfire Inc., disputed the contact award claiming Winning Strategies has ties to a “sister” company which has represented a major tobacco company for two decades. After a long legal battle that originated at the administrative level, the New Jersey Appellate Division issued a decision on February 5, 2009 upholding the award of the contract to Winning Strategies Public Relations. Ms. Einhorn and Ms. Freed successfully proved that the campaign was won completely through merit and that claims of a conflict were without foundation. Ms. Einhorn and Ms. Freed were successful at both the administrative and appellate levels.