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: 908

Stop following me: Cranor sheds light on the science behind tracking consumers online

There it is again, that annoying advertisement for a pair of shoes you looked at online, but didn’t buy, that’s now popping up everywhere you go on the Internet.

Ramirez defends size of $1.6 million Ashley Madison settlement

The following article first appeared on Dec. 14 on MLex. For more information on MLex, including getting access to its exclusive content, please contact sales@mlex.com.

Rich especially proud of the ‘big, tough cases’ her staff has taken on

At one point in a wide-ranging interview, Jessica Rich, director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, was asked what frustrated her about her job. After thinking a...

Ohlhausen has right stuff to be FTC chairman, but with Trump all bets are off

As speculation intensifies among antitrust and consumer protection specialists over who might lead the Federal Trade Commission in the Donald Trump administration, Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen’s...

Ex-FTC economist Mueller dies at 91

Willard Fritz Mueller, the Federal Trade Commission’s top economist for much of the 1960s, died on Dec. 1. He was 91.

FTC exploring smart television privacy issues but no new rules in sight

The privacy concerns raised by smart television were front and center at a recent Federal Trade Commission conference, but there was no consensus among participants about what will happen next.