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Ex Deutsch Prez Files $56 Mil. Suit Against Agency, ExecsNEW YORK Steve Dworin, a former president of Deutsch/Dworin, is suing Deutsch Inc. for $56 million plus damages, claiming breach of contract, libel and slander, among other allegations. The complaint, filed last Thursday, names the agency, now part of IPG, chairman Donny Deutsch and CEO Linda Sawyer as defendants. Dworin alleges that parts of Deutsch's 2005 book, Often Wrong, Never in Doubt, violate the lifetime non-disparagement agreement Dworin brokered with Deutsch upon leaving the agency in 1994. The agency has 20 days to respond to the complaint; defendants declined to comment on the lawsuit. Judd Burstein, a New York attorney representing Deutsch, called the action "frivolous." When reached by phone at his Stamford, Conn., home on Friday, Dworin said the lawsuit was an attempt to clear his name as his business venture, www.youcanwinthis.biz, gets under way. (For full story, see Adweek.com.)Decision Imminent in $60 Mil. Sara Lee Creative ReviewNEW YORK A decision is expected this week in Sara Lee's $60 million review of creative duties on its namesake bakery and deli products and Hillshire Farm following final presentations last week. Competing for the consolidated account are the two incumbents—Publicis' Publicis in New York (deli, bakery goods) and Omnicom's Element 79 in Chicago (Hillshire Farm)—and Omnicom's TBWA\Chiat\Day in Playa del Rey, Calif., a roster shop that handles creative on Ball Park, Jimmy Dean, Senseo and State Fair.Coalition Asks FDA to Impose Clearer Rules for DTC AdsWASHINGTON A coalition of medical marketing agencies and publishers has filed a petition asking the Food and Drug Administration to develop new rules for direct-to-consumer ads for prescription drugs. The coalition, which includes the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers, wants simpler and clearer rules that focus more on providing consumers with drug information, but do not "confuse or scare them away from asking questions or remaining compliant with current treatment," the petition says. The group also wants the FDA to create a communications advisory committee to make recommendations on consumer behavior. The FDA is considering what steps it will take regarding DTC commercials following a public workshop last fall where consumers groups asked that a moratorium be placed on the ads. Five Shops Vie for New J&J China Olympics TaskNEW YORK Five agencies from three holding companies are competing to handle a new corporate image assignment for Johnson & Johnson in China that's tied to the company's sponsorship of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, sources said. Three of the contenders are roster shops—IPG's Lowe and McCann Erickson and WPP's Ogilvy & Mather—and two are not: WPP's JWT and Omnicom's TBWA\Chiat\Day, said sources. The assignment has generated intense interest because J&J is looking to raise its profile in China, a growing market, and top corporate executives are participating in the process. Billings have not been determined. Each shop is tapping talent from multiple offices, and final presentations are slated for mid-April in Shanghai, said sources. The agencies either declined comment or referred calls to the client, which did not return calls.Motorola Taps Omnicom Shops For Global Creative LeadNEW YORK Motorola on Friday said it would primarily use Omnicom agencies for creative assignments around the world, with BBDO in New York functioning as the "central coordinating agency." The new model, which was expected [Adweek, Jan. 30], also gives Motorola access to AMV BBDO in London, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco and brand consultancy Siegel + Gale in New York. From 2000 until last year, most of Motorola's global creative duties were consolidated at WPP's Ogilvy & Mather. Last spring, the client starting doling out product-specific assignments to shops such as independent 180 in Amsterdam, Goodby and BBDO. The new arrangement is not exclusive. A client rep said the company will continue to use IPG's FCBi as lead agency for global interactive duties, for example, as well as 180 and Ogilvy in select markets outside the U.S.

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