FTC asks for delay in Amazon Prime trial citing staff shortage, then backtracks on request

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This week, there was a change in position by the United States Federal Trade Commission regarding a trial against Amazon over claims that they deceived consumers into subscribing to their Prime service. Initially, the FTC had filed the lawsuit and planned to proceed with the trial this month. However, they initially requested a delay due to staffing and availability concerns. Later on, they withdrew this request, stating they now have the necessary resources to move forward with the trial.

This week, as reported by CNBC, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requested a postponement in a court hearing in Seattle. However, they quickly retracted this request later on. The initial delay request was made by FTC Attorney Johnathan Cohen to Judge John Chun, who asked for an explanation of what would change in two months if the continuance was granted. Cohen responded vaguely, expressing uncertainty and saying that the FTC “cannot guarantee things won’t be even worse.” Ultimately, the FTC decided to proceed with its current resources without the delay.

The request for a postponement due to insufficient workforce arises during a period when Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency have significantly reduced federal staff across multiple U.S. government departments. In February alone, over 62,000 employees were impacted, and this trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down. This is happening even as Tesla grapples with stock repercussions from Elon Musk’s contentious decisions, such as his actions against Social Security and Medicaid.

The implications of this for the FTC’s capacity to enforce consumer protection laws remains uncertain. The ongoing case with Amazon Prime might serve as a precedent for how similar legal battles involving tech giants will unfold in the U.S. Keep an eye on news about the FTC for future developments.

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2025-03-13 00:58