SCOTUS: No Equitable Monetary Relief for FTC Under § 13(b)
Well, the buck stops here (for now).
In AMG Capital Management, LLC v. Federal Trade Commission, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act does not authorize the FTC to obtain equitable monetary relief such as restitution or disgorgement. This highly anticipated landmark decision reverses decades of precedent and strips the FTC of one of its key enforcement tools for obtaining consumer redress. The decision will likely represent a sea change in FTC enforcement practices. Read more here.
First FTC Complaint Filed Under New COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act
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Skift found out last week. As you can read,
Skift’s experience was like any other new hotel opening experience – a few hiccups are to be expected (e.g., missing hand towels, wet bathroom floors, etc.). Ultimately, guests of the Kayak Miami Beach can expect “touchless” digital kiosks, encrypted wi-fi, text-only communications with hotel staff (no phones in guest rooms), Apple powered TVs, etc. Will these largely tech-driven features be enough to truly differentiate Kayak hotels from its competitors – either for guests or the hotels’ owners? This is a story we will continue to follow.
(“Expedia Settles False Advertising Class Action with Hotels, April 9, 2021 via Courthouse News)
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14 hours ago
On Friday, Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California issued an amended order approving the motion for attorneyâs fees and the class-action settlement, thus ensuring that Expedia and its affiliates will no longer falsely advertise non-partnering or unaffiliated hotels as âsold outâ or âunavailableâ on its website and platform.
Previously, Buckeye Tree Lodge and Sequoia Village Inn sued Expedia in 2016 over claims that the online travel booking company used deceptive online ads targeting customers who searched for hotels that were not available on Expedia. Reportedly, customers were directed to pages listing fake phone numbers for non-partnering hotels and falsely stated they were unavailable or sold out. This allegedly was designed to redirect customers to hotels that partnered with Expedia. Expedia argued this was a technical issue that has since been fixed.
Expedia Settles False Advertising Class Action with Hotels courthousenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from courthousenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.