A lawsuit alleging the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is misleading consumers and misrepresenting the energy performance of buildings certified under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating systems was dismissed last week by a New York District Court judge.

The suit, brought in October 2010 by energy-efficiency consultant Henry Gifford and others, was dismissed in its entirety. The federal false-advertising claims were dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning the plaintiffs are barred from filing a new suit based on those claims. The court’s ruling simultaneously dismissed the plaintiffs’ state-law false-advertising claims.

To read the court document, click here.