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ARTICLE · 13 OCTOBER 2022

Washington AG Signals Enforcement On Automatic Renewals

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
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Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

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Earlier this week, we posted that a plaintiff filed a proposed class action against the NFL over its automatic renewal practices. The complaint alleges that the NFL used...

United StatesConsumer Protection
Paul Singer
Paul Singer
Beth Bolen Chun
Beth Bolen Chun
Gonzalo E. Mon
Gonzalo E. Mon

Earlier this week, we posted that a plaintiff filed a proposed class action against the NFL over its automatic renewal practices. The complaint alleges that the NFL used "dark patterns" to enroll consumers in its NFL+ subscription without consent and that it then made it difficult for them to cancel. Although we don't know exactly what happened in that case, these are themes that come up frequently in automatic renewal cases. These themes were also echoed in an announcement by Washington AG Bob Ferguson this week.

The Washington AG's office recently commissioned an online survey of 1,207 adult Washington consumers "to better understand if consumers have encountered certain advertising and sales practices related to recurring charges and hidden fees." Although the survey covers more ground, a press release issued by the AG's office focuses on findings related to subscription services. Here are some of the highlights from the survey:

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