Ahmet Okumus to Pay $180,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Antitrust Premerger Notification Requirements

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, at the request of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., against Ahmet Okumus for violating the premerger notification and waiting period requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act of 1976 when he acquired voting securities of Web.com Group, Inc. in 2016.  At the same time, the department filed a proposed settlement, subject to approval by the court, under which Okumus has agreed to pay a $180,000 civil penalty to resolve the lawsuit.

The HSR Act imposes notification and waiting period requirements for transactions meeting certain size thresholds so that they can undergo premerger antitrust review.  Federal courts can assess civil penalties for premerger notification violations under the HSR Act in lawsuits brought by the department.  The maximum civil penalty for an HSR violation increased from $16,000 per day to $40,000 per day effective Aug. 1, 2016.

Further details about this matter are described in the FTC’s press release issued today, and in the attached complaint and competitive impact statement.

Consistent with the requirements of the Tunney Act, the proposed settlement, along with the competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register.  Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed settlement during a 60-day comment period to Daniel P. Ducore, Special Attorney, United States, c/o Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20580.  At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia may approve the proposed settlement upon finding that it is in the public interest.