“It was a landmark case, no pun intended,” Donney said, describing the largest refund ever obtained to that date by the FTC. The settlement also called for a written warning on sales materials given to potential buyers. The caveat, reminiscent of the warning on cigarette packs, reads: “You should consider the value of any of our land to be uncertain. Do not count on an increase in value.”
It is a lasting legacy. The warning is still found on California City tract maps.
