Washington, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leaders wrote to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urging them to crack down on deceptive and dangerous lawsuit advertising and marketing practices by plaintiff lawyers.
The letter, by Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR), Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Health Subcommittee Republican Leader Michael Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Republican Leader Bob Latta (R-OH), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY), asks several questions regarding the FTC’s actions regarding trial lawyers, the impacts these deceptive practices have on the public health and safety of U.S. communities, and whether these practices violate the FTC Act.
“We write with significant concerns that certain lawsuit marketing and advertising practices present a serious threat to public health and safety. Plaintiff lawyers intentionally continue to target and deceive vulnerable Americans into mistakenly believing that medications are unsafe. These schemes to generate lawsuits and revenue for themselves at the expense of consumers’ health and safety are potentially illegal and deserve the attention of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has the authority to scrutinize whether these scare tactics violate the FTC Act. As more therapeutics and vaccines come online to deal with the COVID-19 global pandemic, we are concerned that these lawsuit marketing and advertising practices will further hamper our country’s ability to bring this health crisis under control and save lives," the members wrote.
“Plaintiff lawyers are clearly prioritizing their own monetary interests over the public health and safety of Americans. And, they may be doing so in violation of the FTC Act," the members continued.
Read the full letter HERE.
