Surf Sales Company v. Federal Trade Commission

• Decision Date: 09 October 1958
• Docket Number: No. 12222.,12222.
• Citation: 259 F.2d 744
• Parties: SURF SALES COMPANY et al., Petitioners, v. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION Respondent.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Seventh Circuit

259 F.2d 744 (1958)

SURF SALES COMPANY et al., Petitioners, v. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION Respondent.

No. 12222.

United States Court of Appeals Seventh Circuit.

October 9, 1958.

Eli E. Fink, Chicago, Ill., for petitioners.

James E. Corkey, Asst. Gen. Counsel, John W. Carter, Jr., Atty., Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D. C. (Earl W. Kintner, General Counsel, Washington, D. C., for respondent.

Before MAJOR, HASTINGS and PARKINSON, Circuit Judges.

PARKINSON, Circuit Judge.

Petitioners here seek to set aside a Federal Trade Commission order to cease and desist from using lottery methods and devices in the sale of merchandise in interstate commerce.

They state in their brief that:

"The primary purpose of this petition is to obtain a reversal of the Order against the petitioner Samuel Specter. The corporate petitioner and its president, petitioner Marsh, have virtually discontinued their business but are interested in obtaining a reversal of the Order against themselves, having in mind that any such reversal would automatically inure to the benefit of Specter. As an ordinary employee of the corporate petitioner, the personal record and reputation of Specter should not have been besmirched by the cease and desist order of the Commission. The Commission did not prove a case against Specter."

With this in mind we now consider the contested issues enunciated by the petitioners as follows:

"1. Is there substantial evidence to support the essential findings of the respondent Commission?

"2. Does the respondent Commission have jurisdiction to prohibit the mailing of push cards in interstate commerce?"

The second issue has been decided in the affirmative so conclusively that it is no longer open to question. In fact, the petitioners admit in their brief that various Circuit Courts of Appeals have held that "the furnishing in interstate commerce of material which can be used to operate and conduct a lottery constitutes an unfair and deceptive act and practice in commerce and is against the public interest."

Under § 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C.A. § 45, "unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce, are declared unlawful" and the Federal Trade Commission is thereby empowered to prevent the use thereof. The law is now firmly established that the practice of selling goods by means which involve a game of chance, gift enterprise or lottery, including push cards such as we have here, is contrary to the established public policy of the United States and the sale and distribution, in interstate commerce, of such devices designed for the purpose of selling merchandise by games of chance or lottery is violative of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Wolf v. F.T.C., 7 Cir., 1943, 135 F.2d 564; Modernistic Candies v. F.T.C., 7 Cir., 1944, 145 F.2d 454; Chas. A. Brewer & Sons v. F.T.C., 6 Cir., 1946, 158 F.2d 74; Globe Cardboard Novelty Co. v. F.T.C., 3 Cir., 1951, 192 F.2d 444; Lichtenstein v. F.T.C., 9 Cir., 1952, 194 F.2d 607; Consolidated Mfg. Co. v. F.T.C., 4 Cir., 1952, 199 F.2d 417; Zitserman v. F.T.C., 8 Cir., 1952, 200 F. 2d 519; Gay Games, Inc., v. F.T.C., 10 Cir., 1953, 204 F.2d 197; James v. F.T. C., 7 Cir., 1958, 253 F.2d 78. The petitioners have offered no good reason, and we certainly know of none, why we should hold to the contrary now.

The only other contested issue focuses our attention on the question of whether the findings of the Commission are supported by substantial evidence.

The Commission adopted the findings of fact of the Hearing Examiner who found that petitioner corporation is incorporated under the laws of Illinois with its principal place of business in Chicago, Illinois; that petitioner Thomas F. Marsh is president of the corporation and petitioner Samuel Specter was either the manager of the corporation or had and did exercise the authority and direction of its affairs which that office connotes; that the petitioners were engaged in the sale and distribution of merchandise by means of games of chance, gift enterprises or lottery schemes consisting of push cards transported from their office in Chicago, Illinois in interstate commerce; that the sales of petitioners' merchandise by means of said push cards were made pursuant to the instructions contained in the literature sent out by the petitioners; and whether a purchaser received an article of merchandise, having a value substantially greater than the price paid for each chance or push, or nothing for the amount of money paid is thus determined wholly...