The FTC, along with Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas, filed a lawsuit against WPATH alleging the organization made false and unsubstantiated claims about the necessity, safety, and effectiveness of pediatric medical transition services. The complaint alleges WPATH misled parents and children about medical consensus and failed to disclose serious side effects, in violation of the FTC Act.
The FTC and state partners seek injunctive relief to stop WPATH's alleged deceptive practices; no monetary penalty is specified in the press release.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements with healthcare providers, clinical guideline organizations, and medical associations to ensure that any representations about treatment necessity, safety, or efficacy are supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence. Particular attention should be paid to clauses that require disclosure of all material risks and side effects, as well as any warranties regarding medical consensus or evidence-based practice. Customer-facing consent forms and patient intake documents should be audited to confirm they do not rely on unsubstantiated claims about treatment outcomes.
Entity
World Professional Association for Transgender Health
Industry
HealthcareOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-states-sue-world-professional-association-transgender-health-over-deceptive-claims-regarding-treatment-children
WPATH Complaint Redacted
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/WPATH-Complaint-Redacted.pdf
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)"
"made false and unsubstantiated claims regarding the necessity, effectiveness and safety of puberty blockers, hormones and sex-change surgeries"
"in violation of the FTC Act"
"The Federal Trade Commission, along with Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas, today filed a lawsuit"
"In their complaint"
$750K
The FTC finalized an order against Vanilla Chip LLC (doing business as TruHeight) and its principals for deceptively advertising height-enhancing supplements for children and teens without scientific evidence. The company also used fake reviews and incentivized 5-star ratings. The order requires a $750,000 payment and prohibits false health claims and deceptive review practices.
$2.3M
The FTC alleged that RentGrow, a tenant screening company, violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by failing to use reasonable procedures to ensure the accuracy of its reports, including by reporting duplicate records and failing to disclose data sources. RentGrow agreed to pay a $2.25 million penalty and is prohibited from further FCRA violations and from misrepresenting dispute outcomes.
The FTC and New York Attorney General took action against Handy Technologies for deceptive earnings claims and failure to disclose fees and fines that led to millions of dollars being withheld from workers' wages. The FTC is sending over $2.7 million in refunds to 62,893 affected consumers.
$35.0M
The FTC alleged that Hopper, a travel booking app, charged consumers hidden and pre-selected fees (Tip and VIP Support) without their consent, misrepresented the benefits of VIP Support and Price Freeze services, and failed to clearly disclose total prices. Hopper agreed to pay $35 million for consumer redress and is prohibited from misrepresenting fees under a proposed order.
$1.5M
The FTC finalized a settlement with Publishing.com LLC and its principals for misleading consumers about potential earnings from self-publishing products. The company will pay $1.5 million and is prohibited from making unsubstantiated earnings claims, failing to disclose refund terms, and misrepresenting endorsements and reviews.
The FTC is seeking public comment on a proposed policy statement addressing concerns that AI companies may be manipulating AI system outputs contrary to consumer expectations for objectivity and accuracy. The statement explains that such conduct could be considered deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The public comment period runs until July 31, 2026.