Planned U.S. Senate bill would help FTC fight deception, fraud

div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpWASHINGTON Reuters – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, chair of the Commerce Committee, will introduce legislation this week to restore authority that the Federal Trade Commission lost when the Supreme Court ruled last year that it overstepped in fighting deception and fraud.p

pIf it becomes law, the law would make it easier for the FTC, which also enforces antitrust law, to sue deceptive companies and scammers to recover the money that they took from consumers, Cantwells office said in a statement on Monday. pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

pThe FTC had been suing companies and scammers for decades to recover illgotten gains but was stopped in April 2021 by the Supreme Court, which found that the agency went further than it could legally in its practice of seeking court orders to make fraudsters return money. p

pBusiness groups had complained that the FTC aggressively extracted billions of dollars in monetary awards from companies in recent years.p

p“If the FTC remains disarmed of this critical authority, millions of consumers and small businesses whove been scammed, swindled, or locked out of competitive marketplaces will never be made whole,” Cantwell said in a statement. The senator also released a committee report to support the need for the legislation.p

pThe legislation that Cantwell will introduce will authorize relief for consumers hurt by violations of consumer protection law, her office said in a statement. It also would put a 10year statute of limitations on lawsuits, the statement said.p

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pp Reporting by Diane Bartz Editing by Howard Gollerp

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