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SEATTLE – On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission affirmed that it does not require a delay in its upcoming September trial against Amazon, reversing an earlier claim that resource constraints due to cost-cutting measures necessitated an extension.
FTC attorney Jonathan Cohen retracted his previous statement in a letter to U.S. District Judge John Chun in Seattle, clarifying that the agency has the necessary resources to proceed with the case.
Thorvardur de Shong
“The Commission does not have resource constraints and we are fully prepared to litigate this case. Please be assured that the FTC will meet whatever schedule and deadlines the court sets,” Cohen stated.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson reinforced the agency’s commitment to prosecuting the case, dismissing concerns about financial limitations.
“I have made it clear since Day One that we will commit the resources necessary for this case. The Trump-Vance FTC will never back down from taking on Big Tech,” Ferguson said.
Earlier in the day, Cohen had painted a stark picture of the agency’s financial strain, citing staff reductions, hiring freezes, and restrictions on resources such as legal transcripts and travel budgets. He attributed these constraints to cost-cutting measures implemented under President Donald Trump’s administration, which enacted similar reductions across other federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Education.
Despite these challenges, the FTC remains committed to its lawsuit against Amazon. The case, which involves claims valued at over $1 billion, alleges that the company employed deceptive “dark pattern” user-interface designs to mislead consumers into enrolling in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions. Three senior Amazon executives are also named as defendants.
Amazon has denied any wrongdoing in the case.
