Industry Groups Urge FTC to Revive Click-to-Cancel Rulemaking on Subscription and Negative Option Plans
Last month, two association groups, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), submitted a Petition for Renewed Click to Cancel Rulemaking attempting to restart the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) rulemaking process. The petition asks the FTC to revive the rulemaking process by reopening the Rule Concerning Subscriptions and Other Negative Option Plans, often referred to as the "Click-to-Cancel" rule.
State AGs Increase Scrutiny of Buy Now, Pay Later Providers Amid Consumer Protection Concerns
Earlier this month, attorneys general from seven states launched a coordinated inquiry into the rapidly expanding "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) market. Led by Connecticut and North Carolina, and joined by California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, the multistate coalition of attorneys general sent letters to six major BNPL providers, outlining concerns that the companies' products may be violating state consumer protection laws.
FTC Begins Rulemaking on Unfair Rental Housing Fees After Issuing Warning Letters
This week, the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection issued 13 warning letters to rental housing management software providers focused on the display of the total advertised price of their properties. According to the FTC, the software providers do not allow rental property managers and owners to advertise a total monthly rental price that includes all mandatory fees. This in turn prevents consumers from obtaining complete pricing information on those property owner websites and platforms.
State Court Clears Connecticut's Greenwashing Suit Against Exxon
A Connecticut state court recently denied Exxon Mobile Corp.'s motion to strike the Connecticut attorney general's lawsuit, allowing all the state's consumer protection claims regarding Exxon's alleged greenwashing to proceed.