On September 14, 2021, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Antitrust Division, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a joint statement outlining guidance to prevent those involved in Hurricane Ida relief efforts from violating antitrust and consumer protection laws.
“The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will not tolerate businesses and individuals who prey upon hurricane victims or seek to corrupt relief efforts,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard A. Powers of the Antitrust Division. “In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, the division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force will leverage every tool in its arsenal to root out collusion, corruption and fraud targeting disaster relief, including criminally prosecuting instances of price fixing, bid rigging, and market allocation.
The Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, Holly Vedova, warned that “we’re committed to working with our partners to crack down on abusive and illegal practices and protecting the people affected by the disaster so they can focus on recovering,” by vigorously enforcing the consumer protection laws.
On the other hand, the guidance advised that collaboration between competitors can be permitted if limited in scope and duration to respond to the disaster, such as agreements among health care facilities to pool resources and distribution agreements to bring in supplies to consumers.
The attorneys at Dysart Willis, who have years of antitrust law experience, will protect your rights as a defendant or potential target of such criminal and civil violations anywhere in the United States. Our firm also can navigate you through permissible business practices under this newly issued guidance to help prevent future violations of the law.