Federal judge blocks Amazon from appealing FTC subscription case
A federal judge on Friday refused to grant Amazon permission to appeal several of his rulings in the ongoing legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that the company deceived customers into signing up for Prime memberships and then made cancellation difficult. U.S. District Judge John H. Chun, appointed by President Joe Biden, cited concerns over the tight timeline, noting that Amazon filed its appeal request only four months before the trial was set to begin.
In his 14-page decision, Judge Chun explained that allowing the appeal would likely delay the trial, as the parties would struggle to complete appellate briefing and receive a ruling from the Ninth Circuit in time. He also criticized Amazon for raising the request late in the process, saying it would not simplify or speed up court proceedings. The FTC’s lawsuit, filed in June 2023 in Washington’s Western District, accuses Amazon of misleading consumers by failing to clearly disclose key subscription terms and not securing informed consent before enrolling users in Prime. The agency also alleges Amazon made it difficult for subscribers to cancel memberships that generate billions in revenue. Previous motions by Amazon to dismiss the case were denied, and the judge rejected arguments from company executives claiming they lacked fair warning that their actions could lead to personal liability. Amazon’s attempt to appeal earlier court orders was similarly denied, with the judge stating such appeals are meant to occur early in litigation and would unnecessarily delay the trial scheduled for September 22, 2025. Meanwhile, federal regulators have also accused Amazon of withholding evidence, including documents where an executive described former CEO Jeff Bezos as the company’s “chief dark arts officer” in driving Prime subscriptions.
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