PART II. GENERAL LEGAL WORK DESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURE LEGAL INVESTIGATION DISPOSITION OF CASES BY STIPULATION COMPLAINTS ORDERS TO CEASE AND DESIST TYPES OF UNFAIR METHODS AND PRACTICES CASES IN THE FEDERAL COURTS TABULAR SUMMARY OF LEGAL WORK case before the Federal Trade Commission may originate in one of several ways. The most common origin is through comint by a consumer, a competitor, or from public sources other than Commission itself. However, the Commission may initiate an intigation to determine whether the laws administered by it are or by Radio ng violated.1 on by Chief on No formality is required in making application for complaint. letter setting forth the facts in detail is sufficient, but it should be ompanied by all evidence in possession of the complaining party support of the charges made. INFORMAL PROCEDURE When an application for complaint is received, the Commission asiders the essential jurisdictional elements. Frequently it is complaint cessary to obtain additional data by further correspondence or by a eliminary field investigation before deciding whether to docket an plication for complaint. aken before When an application for complaint has been docketed it is assigned the Chief Examiner to an attorney for investigation, in which e facts regarding the matter are developed. The attorney to om the application is assigned interviews the party complained ainst and advises such party of the charges and requests the subission of such information as the party may care to submit in dease or in justification. It is the Commission's policy not to disse the identity of the complainant. If necessary, competitors of Responde respondent are interviewed to determine the effect of the prace from a competitive standpoint. It is often desirable to interorder slew consumers and members of the general public to assist in deterining whether the practice alleged constitutes an unfair method of mpetition or unfair or deceptive act or practice and also to estabsh the existence of the requisite public interest. review ( (In cases file a and des After developing the facts from all available sources, the examing attorney summarizes the evidence in a report, reviews the law 1 For a brief statement of the provisions of these laws see p. 1. Full texts of the acts pear in the appendixes. |