FTC Announces Resumption of Early Termination for HSR Filings
Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.30.20
The Federal Trade Commission announced on Friday that it will return to processing requests for early termination for HSR filings following a suspension of such grants for the last two weeks. On March 13, the FTC and DOJ announced the adoption of a temporary e-filing program for HSR filings as part of the agency’s response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and the agency’s shift to a remote working environment. Among the changes implemented, the agencies announced they would suspend the processing of requests for early termination of the HSR Act’s waiting periods.
Citing success with the temporary e-filing program, the Commission announced that effective Monday, March 30, both the FTC and DOJ will resume the practice of assessing and granting early termination where appropriate. The agency warned, however, that early termination will only be granted as time and resources allow and there are likely to be fewer grants and those grants will likely happen later in the waiting period than they have historically.
Clients should be advised that while this development increases the chances parties can truncate the HSR waiting period, they should continue to be cautious in relying on a likely grant of early termination until the COVID-19 situation is resolved.
Click here to read a full the Commission’s announcement.
Contacts
Insights
Client Alert | 5 min read | 12.12.25
Eleventh Circuit Hears Argument on False Claims Act Qui Tam Constitutionality
On the morning of December 12, 2025, the Eleventh Circuit heard argument in United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, LLC, et al., No. 24-13581 (11th Cir. 2025). This case concerns the constitutionality of the False Claims Act (FCA) qui tam provisions and a groundbreaking September 2024 opinion in which the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida held that the FCA’s qui tam provisions were unconstitutional under Article II. See United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Fla. Med. Assocs., LLC, 751 F. Supp. 3d 1293 (M.D. Fla. 2024). That decision, penned by District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, was the first success story for a legal theory that has been gaining steam ever since Justices Thomas, Barrett, and Kavanaugh indicated they would be willing to consider arguments about the constitutionality of the qui tam provisions in U.S. ex rel. Polansky v. Exec. Health Res., 599 U.S. 419 (2023). In her opinion, Judge Mizelle held (1) qui tam relators are officers of the U.S. who must be appointed under the Appointments Clause; and (2) historical practice treating qui tam and similar relators as less than “officers” for constitutional purposes was not enough to save the qui tam provisions from the fundamental Article II infirmity the court identified. That ruling was appealed and, after full briefing, including by the government and a bevy of amici, the litigants stepped up to the plate this morning for oral argument.
Client Alert | 8 min read | 12.11.25
Director Squires Revamps the Workings of the U.S. Patent Office
Client Alert | 8 min read | 12.10.25
Creativity You Can Use: CJEU Clarifies Copyright for Applied Art
Client Alert | 4 min read | 12.10.25
Federal Court Strikes Down Interior Order Suspending Wind Energy Development
