The Supreme Court’s new term began last Monday. This new term has taken on heightened significance with President Trump’s nomination of current Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the High Court. President Trump and Senator McConnell have vowed to place Barrett on the Court this year, with the aim of doing so before the

John E. Villafranco
Senate Commerce Committee Republicans Include 13(b) Fix in New Privacy Legislation
Late last week, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS), along with Senators John Thune (R-SD), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), introduced S. 4626, the Setting an American Framework to Ensure Data Access, Transparency, and Accountability (SAFE DATA) Act. The comprehensive privacy bill was years in the making and follows a discussion draft…
Section 13(b) of the FTC Act to Figure in New Supreme Court Term
Next month, the Supreme Court starts its new term, one that has particular significance for practitioners litigating before and against the FTC. In In our first ever video blog, partner John Villafranco discusses the two consolidated cases that will be heard this term, Federal Trade Commission v. Credit Bureau Center, LLC and AMG Capital Management, …
Illinois Court Dismisses Neora’s Declaratory Judgment Suit against FTC on Jurisdictional Grounds
Turns out the best defense may not be a good offense, at least when litigating against the FTC. The Northern District of Illinois yesterday rejected an attempt by multi-level marketer Neora, LLC (formerly Nerium) to obtain a declaratory judgment that the company did not operate as a pyramid scheme and that the FTC was not…
California Federal Court Stays Trial Pending Supreme Court Ruling on Reach of Section 13(b) of FTC Act
On August 20, a Northern District of California court stayed the trial of an action the FTC brought against Lending Club in 2018 pending a Supreme Court ruling on the FTC’s authority to seek monetary restitution under Section 13(b) of the FTC Act. The issue of whether the FTC has authority to seek monetary relief…
Webinar Replay: Product and Earnings Claims in the Time of COVID-19
The replay of our recent webinar Product and Earnings Claims in the Time of COVID-19 is available here.
The FTC has recently sent warning letters to hundreds of companies for allegedly falsely implying that products can be used to treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent COVID-19. The FTC has also issued warning letters for implied…
Supreme Court Issues Liu Decision on Disgorgement with Important Implications for Section 13(b)
The Supreme Court issued an 8 to 1 decision today in the highly-anticipated case of Liu v. SEC. The opinion, authored by Justice Sotomayor (with Justice Thomas dissenting), holds that “[a] disgorgement award that does not exceed a wrongdoer’s net profits and is awarded for victims is equitable relief,” and allows the SEC to…
Anheuser-Busch Wins Big Battle in Corn Syrup Wars
During last year’s Super Bowl, Anheuser-Busch ran a commercial in which a large barrel of corn syrup is delivered to the Bud Light castle. Because Bud Light doesn’t use corn syrup, the Bud Light King and a rag-tag group of knights attempt to deliver the barrel to the Miller Light castle, where it’s declined (because…
NAD Releases Fast-Track SWIFT Process
Last week, NAD launched a new, expedited process that will allow companies to challenge advertising claims made by competitors and get a decision within weeks as opposed to months. The process, “Single Well-defined Issue Fast Track” or “SWIFT” is limited to single-issue cases, condenses and simplifies the standard NAD timeline and process, and is slightly…
The Boundaries of the FTC’s Section 13(b) Authority: 24 State AGs Weigh In
On January 30th, 24 State Attorneys General*, led by Kwame Raoul (D) of Illinois, submitted an amici curiae brief in support of the Federal Trade Commission’s position in FTC v. Credit Bureau Center LLC.
These State AGs are in agreement with the FTC, which has argued that the district court’s authority to…