Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem was sued Wednesday in Washington for promoting a Texas dentist on its social media accounts this week.
The claimThe lawsuit, filed in District of Columbia Superior Court by consumer advocacy group Travelers United, alleges that Noem “advertised a product or service without disclosing that it had a financial relationship with that company.” posted a video to social media on Tuesday regarding the dental services he received.
In the video, Noem describes her consultation with a cosmetic dentistry company known as Smile Texas and the subsequent straightening of her teeth. The video appeared on Facebook, X, Truth Social and Instagram.
In the nearly five-minute video, he says doctors at Smile Texas helped fix Noem’s teeth years before his cycling accident without removing all of his front teeth.
“The team here have been great and finally gave me a smile I can be proud of and confident in, and it’s a gift that I think will be incredibly special,” says Noem. “I chose the team at Smile Texas because they are the best.”
The lawsuit accuses Noem of “deceptive advertising practices,” claiming the group violated consumer protection laws in Washington. It also cites Federal Trade Commission guidelines for including language to distinguish social media posts as advertising.
Noem “started out as a social media influencer,” the group wrote in its filing, claiming the video was intended to promote medical tourism and advertise services to D.C. residents.
“Companies like Smile Texas pay influencers like Kristi Noem to promote their products or services to their audience,” said Lauren Wolfe, attorney for Travelers United, in the filing.
“No representation is made that this is an advertisement or that he received any free or discounted medical procedures in exchange for this social media advertisement,” the document added.
The group is asking the court to order Noem to pay punitive damages in a court-ordered amount, to pay Travelers United statutory damages and to block Noem’s advertising on social media without disclosure.
A spokeswoman for Smile Texas and Noem did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment Wednesday night.
Noem is among former President Donald Trump’s potential candidates for the Republican presidential nomination.
His team previously approved NBC News said he met with the former president at Mar-a-Lago on Feb. 26, but declined to provide details about the meeting.