As mentioned in our previous post, the legality of state Governors’ emergency powers have come under scrutiny during the pandemic. Michigan’s Supreme Court, for example, recently struck down Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s...more
Price gouging enforcement and litigation is front and center for company counsel and business managers nationwide. Our weekly round up highlights some of the most relevant news and information to our clients and...more
If there is a silver lining to the extended application of most state price gouging laws, it is that we now know more about their ramifications. State attorneys general have launched numerous investigations and brought many...more
Price gouging enforcement and litigation is front and center for company counsel and business managers nationwide. Our weekly round up highlights some of the most relevant news and information to our clients and...more
Are Michigan’s Enhanced Price Gouging Provisions Undone?
As much of the country remains under various and often overlapping states of emergency, one Governor’s powers have been limited by a state supreme court. On October...more
Price gouging enforcement and litigation is front and center for company counsel and business managers nationwide. Our weekly round up highlights some of the most relevant news and information to our clients and friends....more
Six months into the states of emergencies triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a sizeable amount of data on how prices have actually moved, potentially leading to more private actions as plaintiffs’ now have the...more
Price gouging laws have become more relevant than ever, but a historical review reveals that price gouging laws may be a historically recent, and misguided development. It was not until 1979 that New York State enacted the...more
Price gouging enforcement and litigation is front and center for company counsel and business managers nationwide. Our weekly round up highlights some of the most relevant news and information to our clients and...more
9/3/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Goods or Services ,
Market Manipulation ,
Masks ,
Natural Disasters ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Price Gouging ,
Price-Fixing ,
State Attorneys General ,
State of Emergency ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Price gouging enforcement is at an all-time high, but many ambiguities about the application of these state laws remain. Among the many questions left unanswered: what does a statute mean when it says “trade area” or “market...more
Price gouging enforcement and litigation is front and center for company counsel and business managers nationwide. Our weekly round up highlights some of the most relevant news and information to our clients and...more
8/18/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Goods or Services ,
Internet Retailers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Price Gouging ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Retailers ,
State Attorneys General
Private plaintiffs and state enforcers have been targeting businesses up and down the supply chain for price gouging violations. Some of these actions have been over the price of goods long associated with the COVID-19...more
8/17/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Food Supply ,
Goods or Services ,
Price Gouging ,
Price-Fixing ,
Public Health Emergency ,
State Attorneys General ,
State of Emergency ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Supply Chain ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Price gouging enforcement and litigation is front and center for company counsel and business managers nationwide. Our weekly round up highlights some of the most relevant news and information to our clients and...more
8/12/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defense Production Act ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Goods or Services ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Price Gouging ,
Price-Fixing ,
State of Emergency ,
Unfair Competition
Most price gouging laws have been in effect throughout the country since early March due to the pandemic. As hurricane season gets underway, businesses should be aware that new states of emergency may be declared, overlapping...more
Price gouging statutes typically operate by setting a baseline over which any price increase is presumptively illegal, subject to various exemptions. But different states use different formulas for their baselines. Businesses...more
In response to the public health crisis caused by COVID-19, states of emergencies were declared across the nation in order to implement emergency response plans and halt the spread of the virus. Generally, state governors...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and the triggering states of emergencies are largely extended, companies are increasingly focused on compliance with state price gouging statutes. State attorneys generals have launched...more
Price gouging enforcement and litigation is front and center for company counsel and business managers nationwide. Our weekly round up highlights some of the most relevant news and information to our clients and...more
7/27/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Goods or Services ,
Joint Task Force ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Price Gouging ,
State Attorneys General ,
State of Emergency ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
State price gouging laws do not typically address product improvements or reformulations. Still, businesses should consider price gouging restrictions when releasing “new and improved” products, as the same pricing...more
Price gouging enforcement and litigation is front and center for company counsel and business managers nationwide. Our weekly round up highlights some of the most relevant news and information to our clients and...more
7/21/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Goods or Services ,
Price Gouging ,
Price Inflation ,
Price-Fixing ,
State Attorneys General ,
State of Emergency ,
Supply Chain ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
While price gouging is often discussed in the context of existing products, new products and services may be covered as well. As a result, businesses looking to introduce new products during a price gouging emergency can seek...more
7/21/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Essential Goods ,
Goods or Services ,
Postproduction Costs ,
Price Comparisons ,
Price Gouging ,
Product Pricing ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
Retail Market ,
State Attorneys General ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
With the federal government’s increasing focus on enforcing price gouging compliance, attention has turned to the Defense Production Act (the “DPA”). Passed in 1950 in response to the Korean War, the DPA is modelled on the...more
7/17/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defense Production Act ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Medical Supplies ,
Natural Disasters ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Price Gouging ,
Trump Administration
Price gouging enforcement and litigation is front and center for company counsel and business managers nationwide. Our weekly round up highlights some of the most relevant news and information to our clients and...more
7/14/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Goods or Services ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Local Ordinance ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Price Gouging ,
Price-Fixing ,
Public Health Emergency ,
State Attorneys General
The pandemic has demonstrated that price gouging laws are not only written in an ambiguous manner, but are ambiguous as to whether they are in effect or not. A recurring problem faced by businesses is that some states are not...more
7/10/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Goods or Services ,
Price Gouging ,
Price Inflation ,
Price-Fixing ,
State Attorneys General ,
State of Emergency ,
Supply Chain ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Price gouging enforcement and litigation is front and center for company counsel and business managers nationwide. Our weekly round up highlights some of the most relevant news and information to our clients and...more