Washington D.C. – Cause of Action Institute today filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on behalf of several family-owned fishing companies based in New Jersey, who hope to block a new regulation that would force them to pay for third-party “at-sea monitors.” That regulation—which was designed by the New England Fishery Management Council and promulgated by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration—requires certain boats in the Atlantic herring fishery to carry “at-sea monitors” and at industry’s cost, all without congressional authorization.
02/19/2020
Family Fishermen Challenge Illegal, Industry-Killing At-Sea Monitoring Rule from Department of Commerce
Arlington, VA (Feb. 19, 2020) – Cause of Action Institute (“CoA Institute”) today filed a lawsuit on behalf of a group of New Jersey family fishermen to block a new regulation that would force them to pay for third-party “at-sea monitors.” The industry-killing rule—which was designed by the New England Fishery Management Council and promulgated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Department of Commerce—will require certain boats in the Atlantic herring fishery to carry “at-sea monitors” and at their own cost. Learn More
12/11/2018
CoA Institute Highlights Deficiencies in Proposed Rule to Shift Burdensome Costs of At-Sea Monitoring to Commercial Fishermen
The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), in coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), seeks to approve and implement a controversial set of regulatory amendments that would create a new industry-funding requirement for at-sea monitoring in the Atlantic herring fishery and, moreover, create a standardized process for introducing similar requirements in other New England fisheries. Under the so-called Omnibus Amendment, the fishing industry would be forced to bear the burdensome cost of allowing third-party monitors to ride their boats in line with the NEFMC’s supplemental monitoring goals. This would unfairly and unlawfully restrict economic opportunity in the fishing industry.
10/3/2017
The FTC Raided My Office, Found Nothing, And Is Destroying My Business Anyway
The FTC Raided My Office, Found Nothing, And Is Destroying My Business Anyway
Without due process or conviction in a court of law, the government is destroying my family’s business.
In early May, federal investigators raided my small tech-support company, Vylah Tec LLC, d/b/a “V-Tec,” on suspicion of “deceptive” sales practices. The raid was part of a politically hyped campaign by the Federal Trade Commission with the Florida Attorney General’s office, dubbed Operation Tech Trap, to “crack down on tech-support scams.” The problem: My business is not a scam.
Read the full article at Investor’s Business Daily.
04/17/2015
Law360: LabMD Loses Bid To Exclude FTC Docs In Data Security Row
Read the full story: Law360
An administrative law judge on Thursday shot down LabMD Inc.’s bid to block the Federal Trade Commission from introducing into the parties’ data security fight new evidence related to the origin of an allegedly leaked patient file, rejecting the lab’s argument that the documents were clearly inadmissible.
In his order, Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell denied LabMD’s motion to prohibit the FTC from using or offering into evidence six documents that contain additional information about how data security firm Tiversa Holding Corp. came across a LabMD patient file that Tiversa allegedly found on servers outside the company and turned over to the regulator.
LabMD argued in its March 25 motion to exclude that the agency shouldn’t be allowed to introduce the proposed exhibits because it would cause unfair prejudice and confusion due to the agency’s undue delay in obtaining and producing the documents. According to the lab, the evidence should have been produced pursuant to a September 2013 subpoena that the FTC issued to Tiversa that sought all documents related to LabMD, but were withheld by the data security company.
But Judge Chappell declined to side with the lab in his order Thursday, instead ruling that the present record in the case “fails to support the conclusion that the subject documents are clearly inadmissible for all purposes” and that the possibility still existed that the FTC could use the documents to rebut the lab’s defense…
Reed Rubinstein, a Dinsmore & Shohl LLP partner and the senior vice president of litigation at Cause of Action, which is representing LabMD in the administrative proceeding, told Law360 on Friday that his side was encouraged by the judge’s decision to leave open the possibility that the evidence could still be excluded at a later time.
“It seemed as though the judge’s ‘wait and see’ attitude was a suggestion perhaps that our arguments had not fallen on deaf ears,” he said.
03/16/2015
Law360: LabMD, FTC Data Security Fight Delayed Again
Read the full story: Law360
An administrative law judge has postponed until May 5 the resumption of proceedings in the Federal Trade Commission’s closely watched data security fight with LabMD Inc., marking the latest delay in a case that has been on hold for almost a year.
In an order dated Thursday, Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell revealed that the evidentiary hearing in the case, which was scheduled to resume on March 19, would instead be rescheduled to May 5.
The order offered no reason for the extension, saying only that the decision was “based upon good cause” and had been made following a conference call with the parties during which there had been no objections. The case has been on hold since May 30, when witness Rick Wallace revealed a congressional investigation into a key player in the FTC’s case.
“The judge told us the hearing was postponed, so we’ll show up on May 5 and we’ll see what Mr. Wallace has to say then,” Reed Rubinstein, a Dinsmore & Shohl LLP partner and the senior vice president of litigation at Cause of Action, which is representing LabMD in the administrative proceeding, told Law360 on Monday.
Family Fishermen Move to Block Industry-Killing At-Sea Monitoring Rule
Herring Fishermen are Fighting Burdensome Regulation, COVID-19, and New, Unlawful Monitoring Requirements to Stay Afloat
Arlington, VA (June 8, 2020) – Cause of Action Institute (CoA Institute) today filed a motion for summary judgement on behalf of a group of New Jersey fishermen, asking a D.C. Federal Court to vacate job-killing fisheries regulations called the “Omnibus Amendment.” CoA Institute filed suit in February to challenge the industry-killing rule, which requires certain boats in the Atlantic herring fishery to carry “at-sea monitors” at their own cost.
Learn More