On November 17, 2025, (former) FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak left the FTC to become Utah’s interim U.S. attorney. Holyoak left the FTC the same day the appointment was announced.

As a result of Holyoak’s departure, the FTC is down to two commissioners: Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Commissioner Mark Meador. With the two Republican commissioners remaining, the vacancy is unlikely to lead to any material changes at the agency.Continue Reading FTC Down to Two Commissioners After (Former) Commissioner Holyoak Leaves for U.S. Attorney Role

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.Continue Reading FTC Updates September 2 – 26, 2025

The FTC continues to prioritize consumer protection and fair competition, taking significant steps to prosecute and deter offenders while returning funds to consumers in recent cases.  In August 2025, the agency secured a $14 million settlement with Match Group, Inc. to stop deceptive advertising and billing practices in the online dating industry.  Additionally, the FTC addressed antitrust concerns in the transportation sector by ensuring that collaboration among industry leaders does not hinder competition.  The agency also commenced lawsuits against ticket resellers and scored a major victory in a pending case against a multi-level marketing company.  Finally, the Commission initiated actions against multiple companies for false or misleading claims, revealing its current priorities and thinking on claims related to Artificial Intelligence (“AI”).  These stories, and more, after the jump. Continue Reading FTC Updates (August 4 –August 22, 2025)

The FTC has been active this past week in providing guidance, including announcing a request for public comments and providing guidance on referrals for criminal regulatory offenses. It has also received a grant to improve its data processing and announced a proposed order against an e-commerce business opportunity scheme operator. These stories and more, after the jump.Continue Reading FTC Updates (July 28 – Aug 1, 2025)

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.Continue Reading FTC Updates (July 14 – 25, 2025)

This week, the FTC is making moves on several fronts. The agency kicked off a series of listening sessions on drug pricing and competition, held a workshop on trade practices related to gender-affirming care for minors, launched “Made in the USA” month, and weighed in on merger oversight in the energy sector. The FTC is also sending refunds to consumers allegedly affected by deceptive home-improvement financing and weight-loss schemes. These stories, and more, after the jump.Continue Reading FTC Updates (June 30 – July 11, 2025)

On July 14, 2025, the FTC announced its enforcement action against telemedicine company NextMed over charges it used misleading prices, fake reviews and deceptive weight-loss claims to sell GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. The FTC has now settled its charges that NextMed used deceptive practices to lure consumers into buying their weight-loss membership programs that had hidden terms and conditions. With the rise of both authentic and counterfeit GLP-1s throughout the nation and the proliferation of the availability of GLP-1s from telemedicine/telehealth companies, online pharmacies and medspas, this announcement is a sign that the federal government will actively monitor these entities to ensure consumers are getting genuine, authentic GLP-1s, that consumers are making informed decisions about weight-loss drugs, and that consumers are not being deceived and duped in the frenzy over GLP-1s.Continue Reading FTC Uses Its Consumer Protection Powers to Regulate Sellers of GLP-1s

On July 8, 2025, the Eighth Circuit vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) Negative Option Rule, also known as the Click-to-Cancel Rule, on procedural grounds. The Click-to-Cancel Rule, which provided a streamlined path for consumers to cancel subscription services in a few clicks of a mouse, was scheduled to take effect on July 14, 2025, but the Court found that the FTC had failed to follow mandatory procedural requirements.

Petitioners argued that the FTC had, in implementing the rule, exceeded its statutory authority, skipped a requisite preliminary regulatory analysis during the rulemaking process pursuant to Section 22 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTC Act”), and acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner under the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”) by enacting the Click-to-Cancel Rule. The Court agreed, finding that the FTC violated Section 22 of the FTC Act.Continue Reading Eighth Circuit Cancels Click-to-Cancel

Just like the D.C. weather, the FTC’s docket was hot this past week. The agency (1) shared updates on settlements requiring refunds to consumers in a number of recent actions; (2) announced the reopening of its “Epic” settlement claim process; and (3) announced several new settlements the agency has reached in both the competition and consumer protection spaces; in some of these, the Commissioners issued statements, allowing readers a glimpse into the minds of the enforcers and decision makers themselves. These stories and more after the jump.Continue Reading FTC Updates (June 23 – 27, 2025)