At page 280 Determining private right of action under FTC Act41 citing casesThe protection against unfair trade practices afforded by the Act vests initial remedial power solely in the Federal Trade Commission.
- Lane, No. 1:25-cv-00559 (D. Or. Oct. 29, 2025).(The protection against unfair trade practices afforded by the Act vests initial remedial power solely in the Federal Trade Commission.)
- Rita v. GreenSky Mgmt. Co., LLC, No. 1:23-cv-00044 (D. Idaho Mar. 4, 2024).(The protection against unfair trade practices afforded by the Act vests initial remedial power solely in the Federal Trade Commission.)
- Hudson v. Scharf, No. 3:21-cv-05827, 2022 WL 226077 (W.D. Wash. Jan. 26, 2022).(The 18 protection against unfair trade practices afforded by the Act vests initial remedial power 19 solely in the Federal Trade Commission.)
- Sobayo v. Ally Bank, No. 3:20-cv-08470 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 15, 2021).(The protection against unfair trade practices 3 afforded by the Act vests initial remedial power solely in the Federal Trade Commission)
- Hughes v. Ester C Co., 930 F. Supp. 2d 439 (E.D.N.Y. 2013).published(The protection against unfair trade practices afforded by the Act vests initial remedial power solely in the Federal Trade Commission.)
- Melinda L’shay Johnson v. JRJ Investments, Inc. d/b/a Mini of Las Vegas, Et Al., No. 2:25-cv-00725 (D. Nev. June 18, 2026).Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973); Salvador v. Bank of 5 N.Y. Mellon, No. 2:17-cv-02857-APG-CWH, 2018 WL 1955418 , at *4 (D.
- Yakub v. Qatar Airways Grp. (Q.C.S.C), No. 3:25-cv-04142 (N.D. Cal. July 14, 2025).(The protection against 6 unfair trade practices afforded by the Act vests initial remedial power solely in the Federal Trade 7 Commission)
- Clark v. Dep't of Educ., No. 2:25-cv-00883 (E.D. Pa. May 29, 2025).See Am. Airlines v. Christensen, 967 F.2d 410 , 414 (10th Cir. 1992); Fulton v. Hecht, 580 F.2d 1243 , 1248 n.2 (5th Cir. 1978); Alfred Dunhill Ltd. v. Interstate Cigar Co., 499 F.2d 232, 237 (2d Cir. 1974); Holloway v. Bristol-Myers Corp.…
- Burwell v. Signature Real Est. Grp., No. 2:25-cv-00284 (D. Nev. Mar. 14, 2025).Sep. 19, 2017) (“[T]he FTCA does not provide for a 15 private right of action.”) (citing, inter alia, Carlson v. Coca Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 16 1973)).
- Posey v. Perez, No. 2:24-cv-01675 (D. Nev. Mar. 10, 2025).However, “[t]he protection against unfair trade practices afforded by 25 the Act vests initial remedial power solely in the Federal Trade Commission.” Carlson v. Coca- 26 Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973).
Show 31 more citing cases
- Tijerino v. GATR Truck Ctr., No. 2:24-cv-00947 (E.D. La. Oct. 23, 2024).Comm'n, 708 F.2d 570 , 574 n.5 (11th Cir. 1983); Holloway v. Bristol-Myers Corp., 485 F.2d 986, 1002 (D.C. Cir. 1973); Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280-81 (9th Cir. 1973)). state.
- Vela v. ATT, No. 1:23-cv-01628 (E.D. Cal. Jan. 16, 2024).Carlson v. Coca–Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th 27 Cir. 1973); Dreisbach v. Murphy, 658 F.2d 720, 730 (9th Cir. 1981); Diessner v. Mortg.
- Bryant v. Best Buy Imports, No. 2:23-cv-02026 (E.D. Pa. Aug. 24, 2023).See, e.g., Alfred Dunhill Ltd. v. Interstate Cigar Co., 499 F.2d 232, 237 (2d Cir. 1974); Fulton v. Hecht, 580 F.2d 1243 , 1248 n.2 (5th Cir. 1978); Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973); Am.
- Kochava, Inc. v. Fed. Trade Comm'n, No. 2:22-cv-00349 (D. Idaho May 3, 2023).See Dreisbach v. Murphy, 658 F.2d 720, 730 (9th Cir. 1981); Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973).
- Peeples v. Ulta Beauty Inc., No. 2:22-cv-04661 (E.D. Pa. Jan. 23, 2023).Several Courts of Appeals have held that “there is no private right of action under this statute.” Am. Airlines v. Christensen, 967 F.2d 410 , 414 (10th Cir. 1992); see also Fulton v. Hecht, 580 F.2d 1243 , 1249 n.2 (5th Cir. 1978); Alfred…
- Pressley v. Exeter Fin. Corp, No. 2:21-cv-03641, 2022 WL 2905235 (E.D. Pa. July 22, 2022).Nowhere does the Act bestow upon either competitors or consumers standing to enforce its provisions.”); Am. Airlines v. Christensen, 967 F.2d 410 , 414 (10th Cir. 1992) (“[T]here is no private right of action under [the FTCA].”); Jeter v.…
- (PS) Hall v. Equifax Info. Servs., No. 2:21-cv-01979 (E.D. Cal. Nov. 29, 2021).Carlson v. 19 Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973); Kerr v. Am.
- (PS) Hall v. Equifax Info. Servs., No. 2:21-cv-01979 (E.D. Cal. Nov. 3, 2021).Carlson v. 24 Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973); Kerr v. Am.
- (PS) Hall v. Equifax Info. Servs., No. 2:21-cv-01979 (E.D. Cal. Oct. 27, 2021).Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973); Kerr v. Am.
- Schmitt v. SN Servicing Corp., an Alaska Corp., No. 3:21-cv-03355, 2021 WL 3493754 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 9, 2021).Appx. 566, 568 (9th Cir. 2013). 18 The Ninth Circuit in O’Donnell upheld the district court’s dismissal of a UCL claim premised on 19 the defendants’ alleged violation of the FTC Act, reasoning that the “federal statute doesn’t create 20 a…
- Mendez v. Ada Cnty., No. 1:19-cv-00301 (D. Idaho Aug. 3, 2020).Carlson v. Coca-Cola, 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973).
- Reyna v. PNC Bank, N.A., No. 1:19-cv-00248, 2020 WL 2309248 (D. Haw. May 8, 2020).O’Donnell v. Bank of Am., Nat’l Ass’n, 504 F. App’x 566, 568 (9th Cir. 2013) (citing Carlson v. Coca–Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973)).
- Doyle v. Kalispell Reg'l Healthcare, No. 9:19-cv-00208 (D. Mont. Feb. 13, 2020).See Webb v. Smart Document Solutions, LLC, 499 F.3d 1078, 1082 (9th Cir. 2007) (HIPAA); Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973) (Federal Trade Commission Act); Barnett v. First Premier Bank, 475 F. App’x 174 (9th Cir. 2…
- Igarashi v. Deutsche Bank Nat'l Trust Co., No. 1:19-cv-00083 (D. Haw. Dec. 6, 2019).Haw. June 25, 2009), aff’d, 384 F. App’x 608 (9th Cir. 2010) (citing 15 U.S.C. § 45 (a)(1); Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973)).
- POM Wonderful LLC v. Coca Cola Co., 166 F. Supp. 3d 1085 (C.D. Cal. 2016).publishedThe second case, Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., does not involve allegations of unclean hands at all, but instead broadly holds that a consumer cannot invoke the jurisdiction of federal courts solely by alleging that defendants engaged in busin…
- Brian O'DOnnell v. Bank of Am., Nat'l Asso, 504 F. App'x 566 (9th Cir. 2013).unpublishedThe federal statute doesn’t create a private right of action, see Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir.1973), and plaintiffs can’t use California law to engineer one, see Lucia v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 798 F.Supp.2d 1059,…
- Diessner v. Mortg. Elec. Reg. Sys., 618 F. Supp. 2d 1184 (D. Ariz. 2009).publishedCarlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir.1973). 42 .
- Izenberg v. ETS Servs., LLC, 589 F. Supp. 2d 1193 (C.D. Cal. 2008).publishedInitial remedial power lies with the Commission itself,” citing Carlson v. Coca-Cola Company, 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir.1973)). 21 .
- SCI Texas Funeral Servs., Inc. v. Hijar, 214 S.W.3d 148 (Tex. App.—El Paso 2007).publishedCommission, 708 F.2d 570 , 574-5 n. 5 (11th Cir.1983); Fulton v. Hecht, 580 F.2d 1243, 1248 (5th Cir.1978), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 981 , 99 S.Ct. 1789 , 60 L.Ed.2d 241 (1979); Alfred Dunhill, Ltd. v. Interstate Cigar Co., 499 F.2d 232, 237…
- SCI Texas Funeral Servs., Inc. Prof'l Funeral Assocs., Inc. SCIT Holdings, Inc. SCI Funeral Servs., Inc. & Serv. Corp. Int'l v. David Hijar, Lupe Wiebel & Patricia Villegas, No. 08-05-00182-CV (Tex. App.—El Paso Jan. 11, 2007).publishedCommission , 708 F.2d 570 , 574-5 n.5 (11th Cir. 1983); Fulton v. Hecht , 580 F.2d 1243, 1248 (5th Cir. 1978), cert. denied , 440 U.S. 981 , 99 S.Ct. 1789 , 60 L.Ed.2d 241 (1979); Alfred Dunhill, Ltd. v. Interstate Cigar Co. , 499 F.2d 232…
- United States ex rel. Lapin v. Int'l Bus. Machines Corp., 490 F. Supp. 244 (D. Haw. 1980).publishedNor does the Federal Trade Commission Act make provision for a private right of action, either explicit or implicit; “the Act vests initial remedial power solely in the Federal Trade Commission.” Carlson v. Coca-Cola Company, 483 F.2d 279,…
- Meyer v. Bell & Howell Co., 453 F. Supp. 801 (E.D. Mo. 1978).publishedCarlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. *803 1973); Alfred Dunhill Ltd. v. Interstate Cigar Co., Inc., 499 F.2d 232, 237 (2nd Cir. 1974).
- Paul M. Garrett, Tr. in Bankr. for Metro. Shippers' Clearings Corp. Of Washington v. time-d.c., Inc., 502 F.2d 627 (9th Cir. 1974).published See Garfinkle v. Wells Fargo Bank, 483 F.2d 1074, 1076-1077 (9th Cir. 1973); Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973). 5 .
- Pasture Gate Holdings, Inc. v. Gruzd, No. 3:24-cv-00886 (S.D. Cal. May 19, 2025).See 14 Carlson v. Coca–Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973). 15 Plaintiff’s UCL claim is, at least in part, predicated on violations not preempted by 16 the CFIL or the FTC Franchise Rule.
- Campbell v. Pfizer, Inc., No. 3:24-cv-04323 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 15, 2025).See Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973) ( 15 U.S.C. § 45 (a)(1) provides no direct remedy to consumers; “[t]he protection against unfair trade practices afforded by the Act vests initial remedial power solely in the…
- Piper v. JP Morgan Chase Bank NA, No. 2:20-cv-01247 (W.D. Wash. May 10, 2021).(holding that section 5(a)(1) of the FTCA is 15 not privately enforceable as the Act vests remedial power solely in the Federal Trade 16 Commission)
- Carreno v. 360 Painting, LLC., No. 3:19-cv-02239 (S.D. Cal. Aug. 12, 2020).(no private right of action under FTC Act)
- Phonacelle Handy v. Gen. Motors Corp., Maxine Herzog v. Gen. Motors Corp., a Corp. of the State of Delaware, 518 F.2d 786 (9th Cir. 1975).publishedSee Carlson v. Coco-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280-81 (9th Cir. 1973); Consolidated Freightways, Inc. v. United Truck Lines, Inc., 216 F.2d 543, 547 (9th Cir. 1954), cert. denied, 349 U.S. 905 , 75 S.Ct. 582 , 99 L.Ed. 1242 (1955).
- Jackson Kwok v. Genera Corp., No. 8:22-cv-01949 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 27, 2023).The [Federal Trade Commission] Act rests initial remedial power solely in the Federal Trade Commission.” Dreisbach v. Murphy, 658 F.2d 720, 730 (9th Cir. 1981); see also Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir. 1973).
- Ventimiglia v. AT & T YELLOW PAGES, 543 F. Supp. 2d 1038 (E.D. Mo. 2008).published(The statutory provision invoked by the appellants [Section 5(a)(1) of FTCA] in this case provided them with no remedy, either explicitly or implicitly.)
- Drs. Steuer & Latham, P.A. v. Nat'l Med. Enter., Inc., 672 F. Supp. 1489 (D.S.C. 1987).publishedHolloway v. Bristol-Myers, 485 F.2d 986 (D.C.Cir.1973); see also, Carlson v. Coca Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 280 (9th Cir.1973).
At page 281 Section 5(a)(1) equips the Federal Trade Commission with a flexible tool with which to combat unfair trade practices. See e. g., New Jersey Wood Finishing Co.…1 citing case
- Miller v. Auto Credit Sales, No. 2:22-cv-00041 (E.D. Wash. May 9, 2022).Carlson v. Coca-Cola Co., 483 F.2d 279, 281 (9th Cir. 1973).
Other citing cases
- Bratt v. Lovestories TV Inc., No. 3:23-cv-00100 (S.D. Cal. Jan. 26, 2024).
- Plath v. Schonrock, 2003 MT 21, 64 P.3d 984.published
- Lehman v. Discovery Commc'ns, Inc., 217 F. Supp. 2d 342 (E.D.N.Y. 2002).published
- Davis v. North Am. Van Lines, Inc., 934 F. Supp. 245 (S.D. Tex. 1996).published
- Dash v. Wayne, 700 F. Supp. 1056 (D. Haw. 1988).published
- Dunlap v. Jimmy GMC of Tucson, Inc., 666 P.2d 83 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1983).published
- Waldo v. North Am. Van Lines, Inc., 669 F. Supp. 722 (W.D. Pa. 1987).published
- Island Tobacco Co. v. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 627 P.2d 260 (Haw. 1981).published
v.
the COCA-COLA COMPANY, a Delaware Corporation, and Grlendenning Companies, Inc., a Connecticut Corporation, Appellees
Reporter's Syllabus editorial summary, not part of the Court's opinion
John E. Hill (argued), Melvin M. Belli, Robert L. Lieff of Belli, Ashe, Ellison, Choulos & Lieff, San Francisco, Cal., for appellants.
John N. Hauser (argued), Charles F. Preuss (argued), James L. Hunt, Robert L. Maines of McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen, San Francisco, Cal., for appellees.OPINION
Before ELY and HUFSTEDLER, Circuit Judges, and SOLOMON, District Judge.*
ELY, Circuit Judge:
Lead Opinion
[*280] OPINION
Before ELY and HUFSTEDLER, Circuit Judges, and SOLOMON, District Judge.*
ELY, Circuit Judge:Acting individually and, purportedly as class representatives, appellants initiated this action against The Coca-Cola Company for damages. The complaint alleged that Coca-Cola had engaged in a nationwide promotional game, Big Name Bingo, that was deceptively structured to deprive many participants of prize money to which they were allegedly entitled under the rules of the game. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12, the District Court, 318 F.Supp. 785, dismissed the complaint for failing to establish a requisite basis for federal jurisdiction. We affirm.
Appellants sought to ground general federal jurisdiction upon 28 U.S.C. § 1337, which provides:
“The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of any civil action or proceeding arising under any Act of Congress regulating commerce or protecting trade and commerce against restraints and monopolies.”
The specific Act of Congress under which this action was alleged to have arisen is section 5(a)(1) of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45(a)(1):
“Unfair methods of competition in commerce, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce, are declared unlawful.”
Here, the pivotal question is thus whether private litigants may invoke the jurisdiction of federal district courts solely by. alleging that defendants engaged in business practices proscribed by section 5(a)(1). Whether the District Court had jurisdiction depends upwhether this action was one “arising under” section 5(a)(1).
“Arising under”, in the context of 28 U.S.C. § 1337,[1] requires a plaintiff seeking jurisdiction to state a claim arising under a federal act regulating commerce. To acquire federal jurisdiction, a plaintiff must assert a colorable right to a remedy under a particular federal statute. The statutory provision invoked by the appellants in this case provided them with no direct remedy, either explicitly or implicitly. This conclusion is supported by solid authority of long standing. See Amalgamated Workers v. Edison Co., 309 U.S. 261, 268, 60 S.Ct. 561, 84 L.Ed. 738 (1940) (dictum); Moore v. New York Cotton Exchange, 270 U.S. 593, 46 S.Ct. 367, 70 L.Ed. 750 (1926); Holloway v. Bristol-Myers Corp., 485 F.2d 986 (D.C.Cir. 1973); United States v. St. Regis Paper Co., 355 F.2d 688, 693 (2d Cir. 1966) (dictum); New Jersey Wood Finishing Co. v. Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co., 332 F.2d 346, 352 (3d Cir. 1964) (dictum), aff’d, 381 U.S. 311, 85 S.Ct. 1473, 14 L.Ed.2d 405 (1965); Holloway v. Bristol-Myers Corp., 327 F.Supp. 17 (D.D.C. 1971); La Salle Street Press, Inc. v. McCormick & Henderson, Inc., 293 F. Supp. 1004 (N.D.Ill.1968); Smith-Victor Corp. v. Sylvania Electric Products, Inc., 242 F.Supp. 302 (N.D.Ill. 1965); L’Aiglon Apparel, Inc. v. Lana Labell, Inc., 118 F.Supp. 251 (E.D.Pa. 1953); Samson Crane Co. v. Union National Sales, Inc., 87 F.Supp. 218, 221 (D.Mass.1949), aff’d, 180 F.2d 896 (1st Cir. 1950); National Fruit Product Co. v. Dwinell-Wright Co., 47 F.Supp. 499 (D.Mass.1942); Atlanta Brick Co. v. O’Neal, 44 F.Supp. 39 (E.D.Tex.1942). The protection against unfair trade practices afforded by the Act vests initial remedial power solely in the Federal Trade Commission. See id.
[*281] Section 5(a)(1) equips the Federal Trade Commission with a flexible tool with which to combat unfair trade practices. See e. g., New Jersey Wood Finishing Co. v. Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co., supra at 352. Consumers cannot transmute that tool into a crowbar for prying open door 1337 to the federal courthouse.
Affirmed.
The Honorable Gus J. Solomon, Senior United States District Judge, Portland, Oregon, sitting by designation.
Judicial interpretations of “arising under” are equally applicable to 28 U.S.C. § 1331 and 28 U.S.C. § 1337. See Russo v. Kirby, 453 F.2d 548, 551 n.2 (2d Cir. 1971).
Dissent
(dissenting):
The Coca-Cola Company conducted a national sales-promotion contest, Big Name Bingo, in which each contestant received a game card with ten questions. The answers were printed on the inside of soft drink cartons and bottle caps. Coca-Cola promised each winner $100. The Official Rules said that one answer might be correct for more than one question and that for some of the questions none of the answers provided were correct. The Rules did not mention that any question had or required more than one correct answer.
Appellants submitted entries with one correct answer to each' question. At the end of the contest, Coca-Cola announced that some questions required more than one correct answer and Coca-Cola refused to pay appellants the $100 prizes. Appellants allege that about 1,500,000 people entered the contest and that almost all of them gave one, and only one, correct answer to each question.
Appellants filed this class action under 28 U.S.C. § 1337 against Coca-Cola and Glendenning Companies, Inc., its advertising agency. Appellants assert that Big Name Bingo was unfair and deceptive and that respondents violated Section 5 of the Federal Trade Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45(a)(1) [the Trade Act].
The District Court dismissed appellants’ action for lack of jurisdiction for their failure to state a claim because Section 5 does not create a private right of action.
Appellants do not seek to expand the coverage of Section 5. The sole issue here is whether aggrieved parties can redress violations of this section even though it does not include an express private right of action. Numerous cases permit a private right of action in similar situations. See J. I. Case v. Borak, 377 U.S. 426, 84 S.Ct. 1555, 12 L.Ed.2d 423 (1964) [Securities and Exchange Act of 1934]; Tunstall v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen, 323 U.S. 210, 65 S.Ct. 235, 89 L.Ed. 187 (1944) [Railway Labor Act]; Texas & Pacific Ry. v. Rigsby, 241 U.S. 33, 36 S. Ct. 482, 60 L.Ed. 874 (1916) [Safety Appliance Act]; Burke v. Companía Mexicana De Aviacion S.A., 433 F.2d 1031 (9th Cir. 1970) [Railway Labor Act]; Reitmeister v. Reitmeister, 162 F.2d 691 (2d Cir. 1947) [Federal Communications Act]; Wills v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 200 F.Supp. 360 (S.D.Cal. 1961) [Civil Aeronautics Act].
In J. I. Case v. Borak, supra, the Supreme Court allowed an aggrieved investor to recover damages resulting from a false proxy statement that violated Section 14(a) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. § 78n(a) [the Securities Act], The Securities Act authorizes the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to enforce Section 14(a), but it does not expressly provide a private right of action for an investor. Because the SEC has been unable to enforce Section 14(a) effectively, the Supreme Court found that private actions are necessary “to make effective the congressional purpose [of protecting investors].” 377 U.S. at 433, 84 S.Ct. at 1560.
Section 5 of the Trade Act is intended to protect the public from “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce.” The Trade Act expressly grants authority to the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC) to enforce Section 5, but it does not mention private actions by aggrieved consumers. »
The FTC has been ineffective in its role as a consumer protection agency. The prohibitions against unfair and deceptive trade practices have been flaunted since their enactment in 1938. Re[*282] port of the American Bar Association Commission on the Federal Trade Commission, Sept. 15, 1959. The sole enforcement weapon available to the FTC to police most consumer frauds is the cease-and-desist order, which has proved inadequate.
“A cease-and-desist order is not enough to create the kind of deterrent that one needs so that . . . business will police itself, because no agency, State or Federal, can police violations of the law. What you depend on is for the community to police itself. But in order for a community to police itself, you have to have effective sanctions . . . .” S.Rep. No.91-1124, 91st Cong., 2d Sess. 4-5 (emphasis added).
Critics have also complained that the FTC is undermanned and that it has befriended business at the expense of the consumer. See Report of the American Bar Association Commission on the Federal Trade. Commission, supra. Historically, the SEC has been more aggressive and effective than the FTC in pursuing its congressional mandate. Nevertheless, the Court in J. I. Case v. Borak, supra, found persuasive the practical limitations resulting from a limited SEC staff which was confronted with the task of examining 2,000 proxy statements a year. A private right of action was implied because the SEC could not, within its personnel limitations, protect investors' against the fraud from which Congress intended to protect them.
The FTC’s ability to protect consumers is even more severely circumscribed. In 1972, the FTC received 9,000 “applications for a complaint” each month.[1] At that time there were only 27 attorneys in the Commission’s Division of Food and Drug Advertising. With this disparity between need and resources, only a few consumer complaints could be considered and even fewer complaints issued. In fiscal 1971, the Commission’s Division of Food and Drug Advertising issued only twelve complaints under Section 5 of the Trade Act. Four of these cases were contested and eight were settled by consent decrees.
I do not believe the protection of Section 5 can be a reality without private actions, such as appellants’, brought under 28 U.S.C. § 1337 without regard to jurisdictional amount.
Coca-Cola contends that J. I. Case v. Borak, supra, is not applicable here because the Trade Act does not have a jurisdictional provision like the one in the Securities Act, which gives the district courts jurisdiction over all actions “brought to enforce any liability or duty” created by the Act. 15 U.S.C. § 78aa. The Borak decision does not rest on that provision. The Supreme Court interpreted Borak to mean that a private party can maintain an action if his interest falls “within the class that [a] statute [is] intended to protect, and [if] the harm that occurred [is] of the type that the statute [is] intended to forestall.” Wyandotte Trans. Co. v. United States, 389 U.S. 191, 202, 88 S.Ct. 379, 386, 19 L.Ed.2d 407 (1967).
The majority assert that Section 5 does not provide the consumer with either an explicit or implicit direct remedy and that “[t]his conclusion is supported by solid authority of long standing.”
I disagree. Claimants, as consumers, together with competitors are aggrieved parties and are entitled to the benefits and protection of the Trade Act. Nothing in that Act gives the FTC either primary or exclusive jurisdiction. Most of the authorities upon which the majority rely are either admittedly dicta or are unfair competition cases. Many cite Moore v. New York Cotton Exchange, 270 U.S. 593, 46 S.Ct. 367, 70 L.Ed. 750 (1926), as controlling authority. Moore held that relief in cases of unfair competition “must be afforded in the first in[*283] stance by the commission.” Id. at 603, 46 S.Ct. at 368.[2]
In my view, Moore is not controlling because the Supreme Court decided Moore before the 1938 Wheeler-Lea Act Amendments expanded Section 5 to protect consumers. . Furthermore, the Court in Moore did not consider whether a private right of action should be implied where administrative remedies are insufficient to afford the protection intended by Congress when enacting Section 5. See Note, Implying Civil Remedies from Federal Regulatory Statutes, 77 Harv.L.Rev. 285, 291 (1963).
The majority’s restrictive interpretation leaves consumers, especially the poor, with little protection against dishonest merchants and manufacturers.
“[Consumers are left with] nowhere to turn for effective redress. Generally quite small amounts are involved as far as any one [consumer fraud] is concerned. The cost of private counsel is generally more than the amount involved .... [T]he consumer’s frustration turns to a feeling of hopelessness and a feeling that the law does not serve him fairly.
“Crime is crime whether it be at the tip of a gun or the tip of a pen and the tip of a tongue of a fraudulent sales operator. All reasonable forces for years have decried consumer fraud. It is long past time we turned orations into actions, lament into law, exhortation into fraud elimination.” S.Rep., supra, at 3.
I believe that Section 5 allows private actions. Appellants’ claims are based on the established principle that a party has a cause of action when damaged by conduct that violates a statute enacted for his protection. Restatement of Torts, 2d § 286.[3] I find no reason to deviate from that principle here.
I would reverse.
See Statement by FTC Chairman Miles W. Kirkpatrick before Senate Agriculture, Environmental, and Consumer Pro-fection Subcommitte of the Senate Committee on Appropriations (92nd Congress, 1st Sess., part 3, Page 2642).
Only three weeks after enacting the original Section 5, Congress explicitly created a private right of action to redress many of the kinds of unfair competition prohibited by Section 5. See 15 U.S.C. § 15 (Section 4 of the Clayton Act).
“A disregard of the command of the statute is a wrongful act, and where it results in damage to one of the class for whose especial benefit the statute was enacted, the right to recover the damages from the party in default is implied, according to a doctrine of the common law expressed in 1 Com.Dig., tit. Action upon Statute (F), in these words: ‘So, in every case, where a statute enacts, or prohibits a thing for the benefit of a person, lie shall have a remedy upon the same statute for the thing enacted for his advantage, or for the recompense of a wrong done to him contrary to the said law.’ (Per Holt, C. J., Anon., 6 Mod. 26, 27.) This is but an application of the maxim, TTbi jus ibi remedium." Texas & Pacific Ry. v. Rigsby, supra, 241 U.S. at 39, 40, 36 S.Ct. at 483.