Illinois Attorney General (AG) Kwame Raoul and Minnesota AG Keith Ellison have joined the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a lawsuit to block the acquisition of Surmodics Inc. by GTCR BC Holdings LLC, two major manufacturers...more
5/9/2025
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Competition ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Healthcare ,
Medical Devices ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Private Equity ,
Section 5 ,
Section 7 ,
State Attorneys General ,
Statutory Violations ,
The Clayton Act
Several state attorneys general (AGs) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have begun scrutinizing ancestry tracking company 23andMe following its recent announcement that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As part of...more
4/7/2025
/ 23andMe ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Biometric Information ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
DNA ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Genetic Materials ,
Popular ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Privacy Laws ,
State Attorneys General ,
State Privacy Laws
On January 15, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Minnesota, and Illinois filed a lawsuit against Deere & Company (Deere). The complaint, which Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona have since joined, accuses Deere of creating...more
3/11/2025
/ Agribusiness ,
Anticompetitive Behavior ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Competition ,
Farm Supplies ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
John Deere ,
Manufacturers ,
OEM ,
Right to Repair ,
Sherman Act ,
State Attorneys General ,
Unfair Competition
On January 16, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued “Antitrust Guidelines for Business Activities Affecting Workers” (2025 Guidelines). The 2025 Guidelines aim to “promote clarity and...more
2/5/2025
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employees ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Franchise Agreements ,
New Guidance ,
No-Poaching ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage-Fixing
In this episode, Brooke Conkle and Chris Capurso from Troutman Pepper Locke’s Consumer Financial Services Practice Group are joined by Chris Carlson, a partner in the Regulatory Investigations Strategy and Enforcement...more
On December 17, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Illinois Attorney General (AG) Kwame Raoul settled their lawsuit against Grubhub for $140 million (Grubhub will only have to pay $25 million, with the balance...more
1/3/2025
/ Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fines ,
FTC Act ,
Gift-Cards ,
GrubHub ,
Hidden Fees ,
On-Demand Services ,
Penalties ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Section 5 ,
Settlement ,
Subscription Services ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
In a significant enforcement action, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Illinois Attorney General have reached a $20 million settlement with Leader Automotive Group and its Canadian parent company, AutoCanada, over...more
12/23/2024
/ Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Consumer Fraud ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Online Reviews ,
Section 5 ,
Settlement ,
Statutory Violations ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Used Car Rule
In September, Pennsylvania Attorney General (AG) Michelle Henry filed a lawsuit against Pittsburgh-based Digital Dream Labs, Inc., and its CEO, Harold Jacob Hanchar, individually and in his capacity as CEO. In the lawsuit,...more
In this episode, Chris Carlson, an associate in the Regulatory, Investigations, Strategy and Enforcement (RISE) practice, joins Brooke and Chris to discuss how federal and state regulators are collaborating on consumer...more
As litigation to block the proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger wages on at the state and federal level, four state attorneys general (AG) have jumped into the fray in support of the merger as the cases heat up on all fronts....more
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the State of Arizona announced a joint action against Coulter Motor Company, an Arizona-based motor vehicle dealership, and its former general manager, for allegedly engaging...more
8/19/2024
/ Automotive Industry ,
Automotive Loans ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Consumer Fraud ,
ECOA ,
Fair Lending ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FTC Act ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Race Discrimination ,
State Attorneys General ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Last week, a bipartisan coalition of 30 state attorneys general (AG), led by Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas, reached a settlement with Cameo — an online service that allows fans to pay for customized messages from...more
In 2024, the landscape of state attorneys general (AGs) is poised for significant change, with numerous elections and regulatory actions reshaping priorities and enforcement strategies. This dynamic environment reflects the...more
7/23/2024
/ Advertising ,
Algorithms ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Healthcare ,
Machine Learning ,
Marketing ,
Personal Data ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Social Media ,
State Attorneys General ,
State Privacy Laws
Private equity firms can breathe a sigh of relief after a federal judge dismissed claims that threatened to establish a precedent for holding private equity firms liable for certain actions by their portfolio companies....more
New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James filed a lawsuit on March 5 against Yellowstone Capital, its founder David Glass, and a network of 30 other affiliated companies and individuals. James alleges that Yellowstone...more
3/15/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Fraud ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Loans ,
Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) ,
New York ,
Predatory Lending ,
Restitution ,
Settlement ,
Small Business Loans ,
State and Local Government ,
State Attorneys General ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On February 7, a coalition of 19 state attorneys general (AG) filed a comment letter supporting the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) proposed Trade Regulation Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (Rule). The state AGs echoed the...more
On January 23, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that Martin Shkreli, CEO of Vyera Pharmaceuticals (Vyera), violated federal and state laws by engaging in illegal and...more
1/31/2024
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Drug Pricing ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Healthcare ,
Martin Shkreli ,
Monopolization ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State Attorneys General
On January 12, Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Andrea Joy Campbell announced a settlement with Grubhub Holdings Inc. and Grubhub, Inc., (Grubhub) for repeatedly violating a statutory limit on the fees that third-party...more
1/25/2024
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
GrubHub ,
Hidden Fees ,
Price Gouging ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Settlement ,
State Attorneys General ,
Summary Judgment
On January 15, Washington Attorney General (AG) Bob Ferguson filed a complaint in King County Superior Court, seeking to block the merger of The Kroger Co. (Kroger) with its supermarket competitor, Albertsons Companies, Inc....more
1/24/2024
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Anti-Monopoly ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Blocked Mergers ,
Competition ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Injunctions ,
Kroger ,
Merger Controls ,
Monopolization ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Attorneys General ,
Supermarkets ,
Washington
On September 8, the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell issued an initial decision ruling that Intuit Inc. (Intuit) “engaged in deceptive advertising in violation of Section 5...more
9/18/2023
/ False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Goods or Services ,
Intuit ,
Marketing ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Section 5 ,
Statutory Violations ,
Tax Returns ,
TurboTax
Connecticut Attorney General (AG) William Tong, along with Illinois, New Hampshire, and Tennessee AGs, jointly authored a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urging improved collaboration with state AGs....more
A bipartisan coalition of Attorneys General (AGs) representing each state and Washington D.C. joined forces with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). They have announced their unified...more
The New York and Pennsylvania state attorneys general recently led a bipartisan coalition of 26 state AGs in a letter, supporting the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s proposed rule amending the Negative Option Rule....more
On June 7, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a request for information (RFI) to gain additional insight into how it can optimize joint enforcement with state attorneys general (state AGs) to protect consumers from...more
On May 19, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes announced a consumer settlement with Response Marketing Group LLC and its principals for $15 million and a lifetime ban against selling money-making products and training services...more