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: 948

Simons’ priorities still a mystery nearly six months into FTC chairmanship

It’s been almost six months since Joe Simons became chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, but he remains to many a mystery, a leader whose priorities are still opaque.

Adding insult to injury: State AGs back AT&T in legal battle with DOJ

In what can only be described as a kick in the teeth to Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Makan Delrahim, 10 state attorneys general have thrown their support behind AT&T’s legal battle...

Pitofsky, ex-FTC chairman and legal titan, dies

Former Federal Trade Commission Chairman Robert Pitofsky, who transformed the agency and made major contributions to both antitrust and consumer protection law, died on Oct. 6 at age 88.

Delrahim’s effort to speed merger reviews met with skepticism

A chuckle or two, some eye rolls and a reference to Groundhog Day. Those were some of the skeptical reactions to Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Makan Delrahim’s recent proposals to...

FTC eyes scalping, other abuses with online ticket sales

With online ticket scalping on the rise, the Federal Trade Commission plans to examine a law aimed at curtailing consumer harm caused by computer programs that buy up tickets and resell them at...

Messenger Kids app violates privacy law, child advocates tell FTC

Back in January, more than a hundred public health advocates and organizations urged Facebook to shut down its Messenger Kids app, arguing that too much social media use is harmful to childhood...