Thu Aug 16, 2012 2:56pm EDT
WASHINGTON Aug 16 (Reuters) - Stanford University sent a "cease and desist" letter to Nu Skin Enterprises Inc, asking the company to stop using a university researcher's name in its advertising material, according to an email obtained by Reuters.
The letter says Stuart Kim, a Stanford researcher, is listed as a "Nu Skin Partner" even though he has nothing to do with the company. It asks Nu Skin to remove all references to him from its website by Friday. Kim previously collaborated with Nu Skin, but stopped the relationship in 2011, Kim told Reuters on Thursday.
Nu Skin has been in the spotlight in recent weeks after Andrew Left's Citron Research published a report stating that its sales model on mainland China amounted to an illegal multi-level marketing scheme.
In a new report on Thursday, Citron Research accused Nu Skin of exaggerating its relationship with Stanford and the university's involvement in its skin care products.
A Stanford spokesman said the university's dermatology department has a longstanding clinical trial relationship with Nu Skin, and a clinical trial is currently under way.
Nu Skin was not immediately available for comment.
Shares of the company were down 3.5 percent to $41.02 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
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