FTC adjusts maximum civil penalty amounts for 2025
On February 11, the FTC announced adjustments to the maximum civil penalty amounts for violations of 16 provisions of laws it enforces, as mandated by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act. The adjustments, effective since their publication in the Federal Register on January 17, increase the maximum civil penalty amount from $51,744 to $53,088 for violations of several laws: Sections 5(I), 5(m)(1)(A), and 5(m)(1)(B) of the FTC Act; Section 7A(g)(I) of the Clayton Act; and Section 525(b) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. The FTC also adjusted the maximum penalties for violations of Section 10 of the FTC Act and Section 814(a) of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 from $680 to $698 and $1,472,546 to $1,510,803, respectively. These increases, according to the FTC, reflected annual inflation adjustments based on a prescribed formula.