Healthcare Provider in St. Cloud, MN Settles FTC Charges That Its Acquisition of Rival Provider Would Likely Lessen Competition for Certain Physician Services

The Federal Trade Commission will require CentraCare Health, a healthcare provider in St. Cloud, Minnesota, to release some physicians from “non-compete” contract clauses, allowing them to join competing practices, under a settlement mitigating likely anticompetitive effects from CentraCare’s proposed merger with St. Cloud Medical Group (“SCMG”). CentraCare Health is a non-profit health system in central […]

FTC Joins NAACP and Birmingham Community Partners on Oct. 6 For Local Forum on Consumer Fraud Issues

The Federal Trade Commission will join with the NAACP Alabama State Conference and local community partners for a forum on consumer fraud issues. The forum will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Birmingham City Hall, located at 710 North 20th Street in Birmingham.  Representatives from the FTC, NAACP, the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant […]

Marketers of Joint Pain Supplement Agree to Settle FTC Charges of Deceptive Advertising, Endorsements

The sellers of Supple, a glucosamine and chondroitin liquid supplement, have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they falsely advertised that their product provided complete relief from chronic and severe joint pain caused by arthritis and fibromyalgia and was scientifically proven to eliminate joint pain. “Companies need solid scientific evidence to back up […]

FTC Approves Final Order Preserving Competition in Market for Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors Used in Automotive Ignition Systems

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that ON Semiconductor Corporation’s $2.4 billion acquisition of Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. is likely anticompetitive. Under the order, first announced in August 2016, the companies are required to sell ON’s Ignition IGBT business to Chicago-based manufacturer Littelfuse, Inc. within […]

U.S. Court Finds in FTC’s Favor and Imposes Record $1.3 Billion Judgment Against Defendants Behind AMG Payday Lending Scheme

At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a federal court has found that racecar driver Scott A. Tucker and several corporate defendants in a Kansas City-based payday lending scheme violated Section 5 of the FTC Act and has ordered them to pay $1.3 billion for deceiving consumers across the country and illegally charging them […]

FTC, State of Georgia Charge Operators of Electronics Buyback Scheme with Bilking Consumers out of Millions

The FTC and the State of Georgia have charged Laptop & Desktop Repair, LLC, an electronics buyback company that specializes in buying consumers’ used smartphones, tablets and other devices, and its owner, Vadim Olegovich Kruchinin, with deceiving consumers with high-dollar offers to buy back their electronics, only to give consumers far less after they sent […]

U.S. Circuit Court Finds Operator of Affiliate Marketing Network Responsible for Deceptive Third-Party Claims Made for LeanSpa Weight-loss Supplement

In a victory for consumers, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has upheld a lower court ruling requiring the operator of an affiliate marketing group to pay $11.9 million for its part in helping to promote LeanSpa, a deceptively marketed weight-loss supplement. In issuing its ruling, the Circuit Court found that LeadClick […]

FTC Staff Provides Comment and Testimony Opposing Proposed Cooperative Agreement and Merger of Hospital Systems in Southwest Virginia

At a public hearing in Abingdon, Virginia, held today, FTC staff presented oral remarks to the Southwest Virginia Health Authority and the Virginia Department of Health summarizing staff’s analyses and conclusions that the cooperative agreement application submitted by Mountain States Health Alliance (Mountain States) and Wellmont Health System (Wellmont) should be denied. If approved, the […]