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.

Neill Averitt

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: 850

Comcast merger foes face uphill battle

Critics of Comcast’s $45 billion bid for Time Warner Cable see nothing but bad news for consumers coming from the creation of such a behemoth company. As they try to figure out a strategy to stop...

Terrell McSweeny officially joins the Commission

FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez welcomed Terrrell McSweeny as the newest member of the Commission on April 28. A low-key announcement following the swearing-in seems anti-climactic after five months...

Ohlhausen stresses balanced approach on ad regulation

Former President George W. Bush famously said that he didn’t “do nuance.’’

FTC officials weigh in on direct Tesla sales

Three senior Federal Trade Commission officials, in a post on the agency’s competition blog, opined that state bans on the direct sales of Tesla automobiles hurt consumers and unfairly protect...

More drama in Phoebe hospital merger

Last August, it looked like the long fight over a hospital merger in Southern Georgia was finally over.

Sixth Circuit upholds FTC hospital order

Another hospital unwinding may be on the horizon. Or will it be another Supreme Court case?