A new lawsuit alleges that Sony investigated WPP’s media rebate practices and concluded the advertising giant was operating what Sony described as a “global crime scheme” across multiple markets.
According to the filing, Sony presented its findings to WPP in 2025 after reviewing how WPP’s media business handled advertising rebates. The investigation allegedly found that WPP negotiated rebates using clients’ combined ad spending, routed some of those funds through intermediary brokers, and retained portions instead of returning them to advertisers.
One slide cited in the lawsuit claims that in China during 2024, about $110 million was returned to clients while roughly $350 million remained in a rebate pool for later use by WPP. Another purported Sony slide reportedly described the system as a “fraud scheme.”
The allegations appear in an ongoing lawsuit brought by former GroupM executive Richard Foster, who claims he was fired after raising concerns about WPP’s rebate practices. Foster estimates that the company improperly retained between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in profits over five years and is seeking at least $100 million in damages.
WPP denies the allegations, calling Foster’s complaints “baseless and without merit,” and says it plans to seek dismissal of the case. Sony declined to comment on the pending litigation.