A whistleblower suing for wrongful termination, an alleged kickback scheme, and a life sentence conviction in China are all central to WPP’s mounting legal troubles.
These three separate court cases reference an alleged illegal rebate practice carried out by WPP executives for years through media buying arm GroupM (now WPP Media).
The cases have dredged up a years-old debate about agencies pocketing media rebates, and the extent to which that practice is illegal. While rebates can be lawful—and in some jurisdictions are widely acceptable—they become an illegal “kickback” when an agent keeps money without the client’s knowledge and consent, according to the Anti-Kickback Statute.
