Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.’s proposed $475 million acquisition of Precision Dermatology, Inc. would likely be anticompetitive. Under the order, Valeant has agreed to sell Precision’s assets related to two acne treatments – Tretin-X, its branded single-agent topical tretinoin, […]
Monthly Archives: August 2014
Federal Trade Commission Joins Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Filing Amicus Brief in Debt Collection Case
The Federal Trade Commission has joined the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in filing an amicus brief in the matter of Hernandez v. Williams, Zinman & Parham, P.C (WCP) (Case No. 2:12-cv-00731, U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit). The case concerns the interpretation and enforcement of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act […]
FTC Approves Final Order in Case Against GMR Transcription Services
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order resolving FTC allegations that GMR Transcription Services, Inc., engaged in deceptive and unfair information security practices that exposed the personal information of thousands of consumers online, in some instances including consumers’ medical histories and examination notes. The settlement was first announced […]
FTC Alerts Major Retailers to Concerns About Concussion Protection Claims for Athletic Mouthguards Made on Websites
Staff of the Federal Trade Commission has sent letters to five major retailers, alerting them to concerns about whether there is adequate substantiation for concussion-protection claims made for athletic mouthguards sold on their web sites. “Given all of the news reports in the past few years about concussions, retailers should be vigilant in reviewing claims […]
FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges that “BrainStrong Adult” Supplement Marketers Made Deceptive Memory Improvement Claims
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that supplement marketers i-Health, Inc. and Martek Biosciences made deceptive claims while advertising their BrainStrong Adult dietary supplement. The FTC’s complaint against i-Health and Martek, announced in June 2014, charges that the two companies, which sold the supplement at […]
Judge Expected to Rule in FTC Case Against Marketers Ordered to Pay $40 Million for Making Fraudulent Weight-Loss Product Claims
A federal district judge in Atlanta is expected to provide a ruling in the coming week in a Federal Trade Commission case against the marketers of three weight-loss and health-related dietary supplements. In May, the defendants were ordered to pay more than $40 million for violating a 2008 court order related to the sale of […]
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. to Pay $896,000 to Resolve FTC Allegations That it Violated Premerger Filing Requirements
Investment holding company Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has agreed to pay $896,000 in civil penalties to resolve Federal Trade Commission allegations that it violated premerger reporting laws in connection with the 2013 acquisition of voting securities in USG Corporation. The Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act requires parties to notify the FTC and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of […]
FTC Approves Final Orders Settling Charges Against Fandango and Credit Karma
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved final orders settling charges against Fandango, Inc. and Credit Karma, Inc. According to the FTC’s complaints, the companies’ mobile apps left consumers’ sensitive personal information, including credit card information and Social Security numbers, vulnerable to interception by third parties. Among other things, the complaints […]
FTC Approves Four SCI Applications to Divest Funeral and Cemetery Assets in Six States
Following public comment periods, the Federal Trade Commission has approved four applications by Service Corporation International (SCI) to divest certain funeral and cemetery assets, as required under the FTC’s May 2014 order settling charges that SCI’s acquisition of Stewart Enterprises, Inc. would be anticompetitive. In total, the order requires the combined SCI/Stewart to divest 53 […]
Email Spammer Settles FTC Charges: Tricked Consumers With False Information About the Affordable Care Act
An email spammer and his company will pay $350,000 to resolve Federal Trade Commission charges that they sent deceptive emails in advance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) roll-out, falsely claiming that consumers would be violating the law if they did not immediately click a link to enroll in health insurance. In January 2014, the […]