Consumer group expects lawsuit against Noem to move forward

A lawyer with a consumer group expects its lawsuit against Gov. Kristi Noem to move forward following a dispute over whether Noem had been served legal documents for the case.

That comes after Noem said the case was dismissed.

Travelers United is suing the Republican governor, calling a five-minute video featuring recent dental work an undisclosed advertisement.

Lauren Wolfe is a lawyer with Washington D.C.-based Travelers United. She said the group believes the governor has been successfully served.

“The case will go forward," Wolfe said. "Travelers United has already filed and had multiple influencer lawsuits about lack of disclosure go forward and we will continue to file them. It’s kind of unfortunate, we think, how out of control influencer culture has gotten in the United States. How there’s such a lack of disclosure on Instagram and TikTok posts, so we don’t know when something’s an ad. We think consumers deserve better.”

Wolfe said Smile Texas, the group that worked on Noem’s teeth, has a long history of working with social media influencers.

In a social media post, Noem called the lawsuit baseless and said she never received compensation for any alleged advertisements.

"If Travelers United continues to engage in baseless lawfare, then I will use every resource at my disposal to hold them accountable," Noem said in a post on X. "They’re hypocrites."

Travelers United is asking Noem to note the video as an advertisement.