Twice a year, state attorneys general consumer protection staff gather to discuss consumer protection issues. Our state attorney general team was at the public sessions, attending and presenting on issues important to AGs. We...more
What’s going on with Michigan’s consumer protection statute? How does the Michigan Attorney General’s Office operate? And what are its enforcement priorities?...more
Last week, a coalition of all 23 democratic attorneys general filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland warning against efforts by the Trump Administration to defund and disband the...more
Last week, a coalition of 22 state AGs filed an amicus brief in support of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cease-and-desist order that prohibits tax software giant Intuit (the creator of TurboTax) from certain advertising...more
Consumer protection enforcers may be on the lookout for misleading hotel and resort rates and fees this summer travel season. This includes state attorneys general (AGs), who have announced multiple lawsuits and settlements...more
General Kris Mayes recently filed two new lawsuits against Amazon.
The first accuses Amazon of using “dark patterns,” or digital design tricks, that make it difficult for consumers to cancel their Prime subscriptions....more
Another week, another flag on so-called junk fees.
The FTC is in the midst of a months-long rulemaking targeting “unfair or deceptive fees” that would fundamentally alter the way businesses can advertise their prices to...more
Reviews Can Drive Business -
Reviews matter. In a survey conducted by Yelp, 83% of consumers who read reviews say they trust online reviews about local businesses. However, fake reviews may mislead consumers. Recently,...more
On October 10, 2022, the FTC Collaboration Act of 2021 became law. The Act’s stated purpose is to enhance cooperation between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general (AGs) in combatting unfair and...more
Last week, BINT Operations LLC aka “Blessings in No Time” (“BINT”) and its owners resolved two separate, but coordinated, lawsuits stemming from states’ and the FTC’s investigations alleging perpetration of an illegal pyramid...more
On June 23, 2023, a bipartisan coalition of 26 state attorneys general (AGs) submitted comments in support of the FTC’s amendments to the Negative Option Rule (Rule). Though the AGs assert that the FTC’s requirements under...more
As we’ve written here, a brand new law governing online marketplaces and sellers takes effect TODAY, Tuesday, June 27. The new law (the Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act, or...more
In January 2022, the Texas Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Google alleging that the company engaged iHeartMedia DJs to provide endorsements for its Pixel 4 phone, even though they had never used it. In November 2022,...more
Fake reviews continue to be a hot topic in consumer protection. In 2022, we reported that six states and the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Roomster – a platform through which people can find rooms and...more
While seventeen new state attorneys general are now sworn in and getting settled into their offices across the country, consumer protection continues to be the top of their agenda. Enforcement continues to take shape in...more
Earlier this month, we reported that the AGs (including the DC Attorney General’s Office) are paying close attention to delivery and service fees. Sure enough, the DC AG’s office filed yet another lawsuit related to delivery...more
At this week’s National Association of Attorneys General Capital Forum, FTC Chair Lina Khan and CFPB Director Rohit Chopra addressed state AGs and their staff on a number of pressing issues, including antitrust, enforcement...more
In January, we reported that the Texas Attorney General had filed a lawsuit against Google alleging that the company engaged iHeartMedia DJs to provide endorsements for its Pixel 4 phone, even though they had never used it....more
Most people would generally agree that discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, disability, or similar factors is a bad thing to do – indeed, that it’s “unfair” within the common meaning of the word. It’s also...more
No, we’re not talking about sinister sewing guides, but rather practices or formats that may manipulate or mislead consumers into taking actions they would not otherwise take.
We untangled the topic of so-called “dark...more
Earlier this week, 50 states and D.C. obtained a $141 million settlement with Intuit related to its advertising of free and freemium TurboTax products. This settlement, which took the form of an Assurance of Voluntary...more
Last week, 49 State Attorneys General joined in a National Association of Attorneys General letter authored by Florida, Iowa, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee responding to the FTC’s Request for Public Comment...more
In Part One of this discussion, we provided background on the concept of dark patterns and analyzed some recent examples from State AG enforcement. We concluded that, in alleging dark patterns, State AGs are building...more
On January 14, so called Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli was found personally liable for antitrust claims brought by the FTC and 7 State AGs. His company Vyera raised the price of medication Daraprim by 4000% after it purchased the...more
The National Association of Attorneys General just concluded one of its premiere events of the year, the Capital Forum, in Washington DC. With many Attorneys General, staff, and members of the private sector in attendance,...more