LabMD litigation against FTC lingers
Although the Federal Trade Commission won its effort to quash a lawsuit over its probe of LabMD, the now-defunct medical laboratory is still trying to sue three agency employees.
The pushback on convenience, resort and junk fees
Unexpected, surreptitious fees in retail transactions — additions like “convenience fees” and “resort fees” — have proliferated wildly over the past 30 years. When they aren’t clearly disclosed at the start of a transaction, their omission can deceive consumers and distort the purchase decision....
Current Issue: 801
Career prosecutors urge DOJ officials to drop plan to shutter offices
More criminals who have rooked taxpayers will escape prosecution if the political appointees who run the Justice Department prevail in their plan to shut down the department’s regional criminal...
Cordray takes a stroll into the lion’s den
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray revealed a great deal about his leadership style when he held his agency’s first field hearing in Birmingham, Alabama, last month....
Baer named for top antitrust slot
If William J. Baer makes it through the torturous Senate nominee-approval process and takes his seat as head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, those who know him expect the former...
Brill to data brokers: Watch out
Companies that collect and sell online consumer data were the targets of particularly pointed remarks by FTC Commissioner Julie Brill in a recent speech, signaling that the entities can continue to...
Public comments not friendly on Facebook
Even as Facebook prepares for its $5 billion initial public offering, there are signs that the social networking giant is losing, not making, friends. Some of its business practices seem to be...
Employee anti-poaching bans: A tough case for defendants
Silicon Valley companies defending themselves against a private court case alleging that they violated antitrust laws by conspiring not to poach each other’s employees may have a steep hill to...