This week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that a company’s president and CEO must pay a $140 million judgment based on participation in a timeshare exit scheme. The FTC also took action that backed Chairman Ferguson’s prioritization of healthcare fraud with the establishment of a Healthcare Task Force in March. More on these stories after the jump.

The FTC has been busy sending money to consumers harmed by unfair or deceptive business acts or practices. The Commission has also announced a settlement with healthcare companies related to the cost of insulin drugs and released a recent report regarding it focus on privacy and cybersecurity. More on this news after the jump.

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Bureau of Competition; Competition; Nonmerger; Noncompete

• The FTC finalized a consent order requiring Gateway Services, Inc. and its subsidiary, Gateway US Holdings, Inc. (collectively “Gateway”) to stop entering into or enforcing noncompete agreements on their employees. The order followed the FTC’s September 2025 complaint, which alleged that Gateway’s noncompete agreements were anticompetitive and suppressed competition. Previously, these agreements prohibited Gateway employees from working in the pet cremation industry anywhere in the United States for one year after leaving the company. Under the consent order, Gateway must stop enforcing its existing noncompete agreements and is prohibited from entering into similar agreements in the future.

Due to the government shutdown, the FTC is closed aside from essential services.  Therefore, Crowell’s FTC updates will resume after the shutdown ends.

The FTC proposed recommendations to rescind and lighten its own regulations. The agency also published its 47th Annual Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Report summarizing merger enforcement actions in 2024. These stories, and more, after the jump.

In the heat of summer, the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection curbed deceptive weight-loss claims by sellers of GLP-1s, as well as debt relief scams and secret mobile data collection. The FTC also reopened and set aside a final consent order regarding Exxon Mobil’s board and management following its acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources. These stories and more, after the jump.

Temporary restraining orders were recently issued against several companies that the FTC alleges deceived consumers. Additionally, the FTC sued to block the acquisition of a medical device coatings manufacturer. These stories, and more, after the jump.

The FTC has been active in the weeks leading up to a change in administration. The Commission has ordered that companies and the individuals who run them pay refunds paid to consumers they have allegedly misled, doubled down on enforcement against companies attempting to enforce no-hire agreements, and approved revisions to thresholds under Section 7 and 8 of the Clayton Act. These stories and more, after the jump.