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Clayton Friedman

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Clayton is a partner in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group and co-leader of the State Attorneys General practice, multidisciplinary teams with decades of experience crafting effective strategies to help deter or mitigate the risk of enforcement actions and litigation.

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A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida stayed discovery in a putative Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action while the court considers whether text messages qualify as “calls” under the statute’s do-not-call (DNC) provisions. In McGonigle v. Pure Green Franchise Corp., the court granted the defendant’s motion to stay, finding that the key issues can be resolved as questions of law without discovery. 2026 WL 111338 (S.D. Fla. Jan. 15, 2026).

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a proposed consent order with Illusory Systems Inc. (Illusory), a Utah-based blockchain infrastructure company that operates the Nomad Token Bridge. The settlement resolves the FTC’s allegations that Illusory failed to live up to its stated data security commitments, leading to a 2022 cyberattack in which hackers stole approximately $186 million in crypto assets from platform users. Under the proposed order, Illusory must return to consumers any recovered funds and implement enhanced information security measures.

In this episode of our special 12 Days of Regulatory Insights podcast series, RISE Partner Clay Friedman is joined by colleague Christy Matelis — a member of the firm’s antitrust practice and former Utah assistant attorney general — to unpack what a newly reactivated FTC means for the year ahead.

This article was originally published on Reuters and Westlaw Today and is republished here with permission as it originally appeared on November 18, 2025.

The 2026 election season is poised to bring substantial changes to the roster of state Attorneys General (AG). With over 30 races, including high-stakes contests in Texas and Florida, the outcomes of these state AG elections are set to significantly influence legal and policy outcomes across the nation. These elections will not only shape the legal landscape but also impact businesses and industries that operate within these states.

This article was originally published on Law360 and is republished here with permission as it originally appeared on October 29, 2025.

This article is part of a regular column in which each installment features observations on one state’s attorney general enforcement news and trends, and the compliance implications.

Since beginning his tenure in 2019, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has strategically positioned himself as a leading figure among Democratic state attorneys general.

On September 25, 2025, Amazon agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle claims brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging that the company misled consumers into signing up for Prime memberships and made it difficult for them to cancel. The settlement, announced just days into the start of litigation between Amazon and FTC, includes $1 billion in penalties and $1.5 billion in restitution to customers, which the FTC described as one of the largest settlements in the agency’s history.

On August 12, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ordered Match Group, owners and operators of online dating platforms such as Match.com, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, The League, and others, to pay $14 million. This settlement resolves the FTC’s 2019 complaint accusing Match of misleading claims involving guarantees and onerous subscription cancellation processes, contrary to the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA).

Ashley Taylor, Clayton Friedman, Michael Yaghi, Natalia Jacobo, and Jay Myers of Troutman Pepper Locke LLP discuss stepped up enforcement efforts among state attorneys general in the face of the Trump administration’s broad deregulatory agenda and as federal agencies appear to shift litigation priorities.

Read the full article at Reuters and Westlaw Today.