Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, CONSUMER PROTECTION NEWS: Ohio funeral home settles charges it violated the FTC’s Funeral Rule, (Jan 30, 2015)

By Dan Selcke, J.D.

In order to settle allegations that he was violating the FTC’s Funeral Rule, Ohio funeral home operator Larry S. Glickler agreed to pay a civil penalty of $6,500, the FTC reported in a press release today.

The charges, filed at the FTC’s behest by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, alleged that Glickler failed to provide customers with an itemized general price list at the beginning of in-persons discussions about funeral arrangements, a casket price list at the beginning of discussions about caskets, and an outer burial container price list at the beginning of discussions about outer burial containers. According to the complaint, all of these failures were in direct violation of the FTC’s Funeral Rule, which requires funeral providers to provide information consumers need to compare prices and buy only the funeral services and goods they want.

In addition to requiring funeral homes to provide consumers with itemized price lists at the start of any in-person discussions of funeral services, the Funeral Rule also prohibits funeral homes from requiring consumers to buy an item, like a casket, as a condition of obtaining other services, and requires them to provide price information by telephone on request. The FTC conducts undercover inspections every year to make sure that funeral homes are complying with the Rule.

In addition to requiring him to pay the civil penalty, Glickler’s consent decree also permanently prohibits him from violating the Funeral Rule.

News: ConsumerProtection FederalTradeCommissionNews