On December 19, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission announced a proposed $20 million settlement with Leader Automotive Group and its parent company, AutoCanada, to resolve claims brought by the FTC and the State of Illinois....more
Below is his conversation with Jordan Gerber, a Managing Director at Caber Hill Advisors, an M&A advisory firm that focuses on helping privately-held, middle-market businesses transact with strategic or private-equity-backed...more
To help businesses, investors, and deal professionals better understand the evolving private equity landscape in the lower middle market, Rob Connolly – a partner in and leader of LP’s Corporate Practice Group – shares a...more
One of the country’s largest automotive retailers filed suit against the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) on October 4, arguing that the Supreme Court’s recent landmark decision in Securities and Exchange Commission v....more
A new “Auto Finance Special Edition” of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB or Bureau) Supervisory Highlights was released on October 7, 2024, and it is important for those overseeing compliance in their auto...more
On October 7, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) published the Fall edition of its Supervisory Highlights, focusing on examinations of the auto-finance market completed between November 1, 2023, and...more
On Oct. 7, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in a case that could significantly reshape how auto dealerships operate. The National Automobile Dealers Association is arguing that the Federal Trade...more
Pennsylvania AG Michelle Henry announced that six additional states have joined a lawsuit against lending company Mariner Finance, LLC, which was first filed by Pennsylvania and five other AGs in 2022. The bipartisan...more
A lengthy decision recently issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania by Shapiro v. Mariner Fin., LLC, No. CV 22-3253, 2024 WL 169654 (E.D. Pa. Jan. 12, 2024) (Hodge, J.), may...more
On December 12, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it has finalized the Combating Auto Retail Scams Rule (CARS Rule), which imposes various obligations affecting dealers’ sales practices and will also impact...more
On December 12, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced its Combating Auto Retail Scams Rule, otherwise known as the “CARS Rule,” setting new requirements on the sale, financing, and leasing of vehicles by motor...more
Here are curated AG and federal regulatory news stories highlighting key areas in which state and federal regulators’ decisions are having an impact across the US: • AGs Fight for Fair Play in College Sports- • AGs on the...more
The FTC finalized a new rule intended to protect consumers buying a new car from unlawful and deceptive sales tactics pursuant to its authority under the Dodd-Frank Act to prescribe rules relating to unfair or deceptive...more
The Federal Trade Commission and Wisconsin Attorney General have entered into settlements with a group of auto dealerships, their current and former corporate owners, and their general manager for allegedly engaging in...more
On October 24, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Wisconsin Department of Justice announced a settlement with Wisconsin auto dealer group Rhinelander Auto Center, Inc. (Rhinelander), its current and former owners, and...more
For almost two years, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has made combating so-called junk fees an agency priority, bringing multiple enforcement actions, undertaking supervisory activity, and collaborating with...more
Part Two of our series on junk fees highlights recent regulatory, enforcement, and private action trends. Not only has the CFPB and FTC issued proposed rulemaking and guidance warnings against certain types of fee practices,...more
Blurred Lines: NAD Says Supplement Company Must Add Conspicuous Disclosures When Editorial Content Is Advertising - Once again, the National Advertising Division has examined the increasingly blurry line between...more
On January 31, 2023, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (“Mass AG”) announced a settlement with Hometown Auto Framingham, Inc. (“Hometown Auto”), resolving allegations that the auto dealership had engaged in unfair,...more
Massachusetts AG Andrea Joy Campbell reached a settlement with Hometown Auto Framingham, Inc. for allegedly violating Massachusetts’s Consumer Protection Law by charging higher prices for “add-on” goods or services to Black...more
AGs from 16 states, the District of Columbia, and the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection submitted comments in response to the FTC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning its proposed Motor Vehicle Dealers Trade...more
On July 13, 2022, the FTC’s proposed Motor Vehicle Dealers Trade Regulation Rule, was published in the Federal Register. The FTC’s stated purpose of the proposed rule is to “protect consumers and honest dealers by making the...more
The FTC has announced the settlement of a lawsuit filed jointly with the Illinois Attorney General against a group of auto dealerships that alleged the dealerships violated federal and state law by engaging in deceptive...more
The FTC and Illinois AG Kwame Raoul reached a settlement with multistate auto dealership Edward Napleton Automotive Group and affiliate persons and dealerships (collectively, “Napleton”) to resolve allegations that Napleton...more
On May 21, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and 3rd Generation, Inc. d/b/a California Auto Finance entered into a Consent Order in which the CFPB alleged unfair acts or practices in connection with an...more