Yesterday, less than a week after the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in AMG Capital Management v. FTC, two Congressional committees zeroed in on the FTC’s hollowed-out Section 13(b) authority, the fate of which now lies squarely with Congress. Leading Democrats in both chambers have expressed the urgent need for legislation to clarify and strengthen
Supreme Court Finds Section 13(b) Does Not Allow for Monetary Remedies
This morning, the Supreme Court released its long-awaited opinion in AMG Capital Management v. FTC. Judge Breyer issued the decision for a unanimous Court. As we had predicted following oral arguments, the Supreme Court found that Section 13(b) of the FTC Act does not allow for monetary remedies.
The Court’s conclusion, stated at the
With a Supreme Court Decision Pending, Will Congress Intervene to Clarify the FTC’s Enforcement Authorities Under 13(b)?
Updated to reflect introduction of H.R. 2668, the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act by Rep. Cárdenas (D-CA)
As we inch closer to a Supreme Court decision in AMG Capital Management, LLC v. Federal Trade Commission, proponents of a 13(b) legislative fix are moving with a greater sense of urgency. In a Senate Commerce Committee
House Democrats Primed to Introduce 13(b) Legislative Fix
On Thursday afternoon, the future of the Federal Trade Commission’s enforcement authority took center stage during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing entitled, “Safeguarding American Consumers: Fighting Fraud and Scams During the Pandemic.” While the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee hearing was ostensibly focused on pandemic-related fraud, calls to clarify the agency’s ability to
Supreme Court Vacates its Prior Grant of the FTC’s Petition for Certiorari in FTC v. Credit Bureau Center, LLC: What Does it Mean for Section 13(b) and AMG Capital Management, LLC v. FTC?
This morning, in a brief line order, the Supreme Court vacated its prior grant of the Federal Trade Commission’s petition for certiorari in Federal Trade Commission v. Credit Bureau Center, LLC (“Credit Bureau”). Justice Barrett did not take part in the decision to vacate the grant of certiorari. None of the remaining Justices
The “Un-Sprung Bear Trap”: The Resurrection of the FTC’s Penalty Offense Authority As One Possible Solution to the 13(b) Problem
Late last week (Oct. 29), FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra (D) and his Attorney Advisor Samuel Levine released a paper entitled “The Case for Resurrecting the FTC Act’s Penalty Offense Authority.” In it, Commissioner Chopra and Mr. Levine argue that the Commission should “resurrect one of the key authorities it abandoned in the 1980s: