Following Amazon-MGM Deal Close, FTC Warns It May ‘Challenge a Deal at Any Time’

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorAmazon on Thursday announced that it had closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM. But the deal may not be out of the regulatory woods yet.The Federal Trade Commission, asked about its review of the Amazon-MGM announcement, noted that the agency has the latitude to file a legal challenge even after the parties have closed a transaction.“The FTC does not comment on any particular matters.

However, we reiterate that the Commission does not approve transactions and may challenge a deal at any time if it determines that it violates the law,” FTC spokesperson Betsy Lordan said in a statement to Variety.Additionally, last year the FTC announced that it will send “pre-consummation warning letters in connection with deals it cannot fully investigate within the timelines established by the HSR Act,” Lordan said.

That’s a reference to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, which established the federal premerger notification program to provide the FTC and the Justice Department with information about large mergers and acquisitions before they occur.