Just Answer, Pearl, AskALawyer Accused sued by FTC : NPR
Just Answer, Pearl, AskALawyer Accused sued by FTC : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/13/nx-s1-5676150/ftc-lawsuit-just-answers-consumer-deception
Publish Date: 2026-01-13 16:34:00
Source Domain: www.npr.org
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against JustAnswer, alleging consumer deception through its AI-based search engine Pearl.
- JustAnswer’s Pearl chatbot allegedly tricks users into signing up for its Q&A service with a $1 or $5 join fee, followed by charging significantly higher monthly subscription fees without clear disclosure.
- Consumers are allegedly unaware of the monthly subscription fees, which can reach as high as $79 per month, until they see the fine print when attempting to sign up.
- The FTC investigation reveals that this technique has duped hundreds of thousands of consumers, leading to numerous complaints against JustAnswer.
- JustAnswer CEO Andy Kurtzig allegedly refused to make changes to the scheme despite being aware of the consumer deception.
- The lawsuit seeks to halt JustAnswer’s practices, which the FTC claims violate federal consumer protection laws, and is part of a broader fight against “dark patterns” used by companies to trick consumers into unwanted subscriptions.
