Predatory Business Practices
Conduct Screen Corporate Misconduct
Multi-level marketing structures, rent-seeking platforms, and business models that exploit customers, distributors, or communities
73 companies currently excluded under this screen
Excluded Companies (73 total)
Showing 73 of 73 companies excluded under this screen.
| Ticker | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| ACHC | Acadia Healthcare Co Inc | Acadia Healthcare operated psychiatric facilities that admitted patients who did not meet inpatient criteria, held them beyond clinical necessity, and billed Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE for medica... |
| ADBE | Adobe Inc | FTC sued Adobe and two executives (June 2024) for hiding early termination fees (ETFs) worth hundreds of dollars in its "annual paid monthly" plan and deliberately obstructing cancellations through da... |
| ALGN | Align Technology | Align Technology operates a vertically integrated business model for its Invisalign clear aligner system that creates significant barriers to competition and locks in dental professionals. The company... |
| AMZN | Amazon.com, Inc. | FTC 2025 $2.5B settlement ($1B penalty + $1.5B refunds): Amazon deployed subscription traps, fake discounts, and deceptive Prime cancellation flows targeting consumers |
| APO | APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT INC CLASS | Owns LifePoint Health: documented severe cuts to hospital services, poor quality ratings, and healthcare worker understaffing across acquired regional hospitals. Extracts value from essential communit... |
| ARES | Ares Management | Ares Management acquired Neiman Marcus in 2013 for $6 billion, loading $4.9 billion in funded debt. In 2017-2018, Ares and CPPIB allegedly orchestrated a fraudulent transfer — removing MyTheresa (valu... |
| ATGE | Adtalem Global Education Inc. | DeVry University, then owned by Adtalem Global Education, systematically misrepresented graduate employment outcomes to recruit students. The FTC found DeVry falsely claimed 90% of graduates seeking e... |
| AVB | AVALONBAY COMMUNITIES INC | AvalonBay is identified by academic research in Urban Geography, leveraging data from the Tenant Power Toolkit, as one of the largest corporate evictors driving racially disproportionate displacement ... |
| AXON | Axon Enterprise, Inc. | Axon Enterprise manufactures and sells Taser conducted energy devices responsible for over 1,000 deaths in the United States since 2000, according to Reuters investigations. The company faced at least... |
| BAC | Bank of America | CFPB/OCC $250M penalty (2023) — Bank of America illegally charged junk fees, withheld credit card rewards, and opened fake accounts without customer consent. |
| BBY | Best Buy Co., Inc. | Best Buy faces a class action lawsuit (Porchia et al. v. Best Buy Co., Inc., Case No. 3:25-cv-00134, filed January 2025) alleging the company advertised fake sales on TVs and major appliances. The sui... |
| BKD | Brookdale Senior Living Inc. | California Attorney General $3.25 million enforcement settlement (March 2022) for systemic consumer deception. Brookdale deliberately defrauded CMS to artificially inflate facility safety "star rating... |
| BKNG | Booking Holdings Inc. | Texas AG secured $9.5M settlement (Aug 2025) -- the largest state recovery for "junk fee" practices against any hotel or online travel agency. Booking Holdings (Booking.com, Priceline, Kayak) enticed ... |
| BMY | Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | BMS/Celgene weaponized the FDA-mandated REMS safety program for Revlimid (lenalidomide) as a barrier to generic competition — the most documented case of REMS abuse in US pharmaceutical history. Strat... |
| CCL | CARNIVAL CORP | Carnival Corporation operates a cruise business model that extracts revenue from passengers while systematically externalizing its environmental and regulatory costs onto the public. The company has a... |
| CG | CARLYLE GROUP INC | Acquired manufactured home communities and implemented aggressive lot rent hikes trapping low-income residents who cannot move their homes; documented by Private Equity Stakeholder Project as a predat... |
| CHGG | CHEGG INC | Chegg operates a subscription-based online education platform that has been the subject of multiple regulatory and legal actions for deceptive and exploitative business practices. In September 2025, t... |
| CHTR | CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS INC | Charter Communications agreed to pay $174.2 million in 2021 to resolve criminal charges related to fraudulent billing practices, including failing to provide promised internet speeds and charging cust... |
| CLX | Clorox Company (The) | Clorox agreed to pay $14.15M civil penalty to CPSC for knowingly failing to report bacterial contamination (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) in Pine-Sol Scented Multi-Surface Cleaning Products. Contamination d... |
| CMCSA | Comcast Corporation | Comcast faces an active antitrust trial (Viamedia v. Comcast, scheduled October 5, 2026) alleging Comcast monopolizes local TV ad sales by leveraging control of interconnects; ~$300M in damages sought... |
| COIN | Coinbase Global, Inc. | In May 2025, Coinbase disclosed a data breach affecting 69,461 customers caused by overseas customer support contractors (via TaskUs) who were bribed by cybercriminals. Stolen data included Social Sec... |
| CPAY | CORPAY INC | Permanent federal injunction (March 2024 / January 2026 appeal) following an FTC enforcement action for deceptive advertising and charging hundreds of millions in unauthorized hidden fees on fuel card... |
| CUK | CARNIVAL PLC | Carnival Corporation & plc operates a global cruise business that externalizes costs onto customers, destinations, and the environment while employing pricing and marketing strategies that obscure the... |
| CVNA | CARVANA CO | Connecticut AG $1.5M settlement (Jan 2025): Carvana failed to provide vehicle titles and registration documents for months post-purchase, leaving consumers with unregistered vehicles while facing loan... |
| DE | Deere & Co. | Right-to-repair monopolization — FTC and state AGs sued Deere (Jan 2025) for anticompetitive tactics blocking farmers from repairing their own equipment, forcing dealer-only service at inflated cost. ... |
| DVA | DAVITA INC | The U.S. Department of Justice sued DaVita Inc. in 2021 to block its proposed $4.3 billion acquisition of dialysis clinics from University of Utah Health, alleging the deal would reduce competition an... |
| EA | ELECTRONIC ARTS INC | Core business model depends on loot box monetization (Ultimate Team modes) — psychological manipulation targeting minors. JCCP No. 5363 consolidates 100+ addiction lawsuits. Belgium banned EA loot box... |
| ELV | ELEVANCE HEALTH INC | Elevance Health (formerly Anthem) operates one of the largest U.S. health insurance platforms, covering approximately 46 million members. Federal and state regulators have documented a pattern of pred... |
| ENVA | ENOVA INTERNATIONAL INC | Enova International operates an online lending platform that extends high-cost installment loans and lines of credit, primarily to subprime borrowers. The company's business model is predicated on ext... |
| EQH | Equitable Holdings | Targeted K-12 public school teachers with EQUI-VEST variable annuities while systematically hiding up to 1.49% mortality/expense fees and 2.26% portfolio operating fees — showing "$0.00 in fees" on qu... |
| ESS | ESSEX PROPERTY TRUST INC | Essex Property Trust spent $60.1M since 2018 to defeat California rent control ballot measures (Props 10, 21, 33). Implicated in DOJ RealPage algorithmic pricing investigation. 2016 Fremont, CA tenant... |
| FA | First Advantage Corp | First Advantage, one of the largest employment background screening companies, has faced systemic FCRA violations for issuing inaccurate background check reports that harmed job seekers. Federal court... |
| FICO | Fair Isaac Corp | Fair Isaac Corp is the foundational architect of financial surveillance capitalism. FICO scores function as punitive gatekeepers for basic economic participation — housing, insurance, employment. Acad... |
| GDDY | GODADDY INC | FTC enforcement action (Jan 2025, finalized May 2025 by 3-0 vote) charged GoDaddy with deceiving millions of web-hosting customers by marketing "award-winning security" while failing to implement basi... |
| GOGO | GOGO INC | Gogo Inc. operates a business aviation internet service that has been found to engage in anticompetitive conduct to maintain its market position. In February 2026, a Delaware jury found Gogo liable fo... |
| HCA | HCA HEALTHCARE INC | Serial healthcare fraud: HCA paid $1.7B total -- the largest healthcare fraud recovery in U.S. history. Includes $840M in criminal fines (2000) for up-coding, false billing, and billing medically unne... |
| HSIC | HENRY SCHEIN INC | Henry Schein agreed to pay $1.1 million for allegedly violating the Civil Monetary Penalties Law by providing improper remuneration to customers in the form of points redeemable for products and servi... |
| IDCC | Interdigital | InterDigital: anticompetitive abuse of standard-essential patents (SEP) — China court ruled against IDCC for SEP licensing practices, ordered $3.2M in damages (2013 Shenzhen Intermediate People's Cour... |
| INMD | INMODE LTD | Credible, consolidated securities and consumer class action (filed February 2024, US District Court C.D. California, 2:24-cv-01219) alleging systemic evasion of FDA injury reporting and off-label mark... |
| INTU | Intuit | Intuit's business model depends on the complexity of the U.S. tax code and the absence of government-provided filing tools. Since 1998, Intuit has spent over $45.7 million on federal lobbying, much of... |
| INVH | INVITATION HOMES INC | Invitation Homes, the largest US single-family rental landlord, contributed $500K to defeat California Proposition 33 (rent control expansion) while simultaneously facing FTC investigation for decepti... |
| KKR | KKR AND CO INC | Envision Healthcare (KKR portfolio): systemic surprise medical billing from emergency physicians. BrightSpring (KKR portfolio): Senate investigation documented dangerous understaffing and systemic neg... |
| KR | Kroger Company (The) | Kroger has engaged in a documented pattern of deceptive pricing practices that systematically overcharge customers at the point of sale. Investigations by Consumer Reports and other consumer watchdogs... |
| KVUE | KENVUE INC | Texas AG Paxton sued Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson (Oct 2025) for deceptively marketing Tylenol to pregnant women despite known risks that acetaminophen exposure significantly increases autism and neur... |
| LAD | Lithia Motors, Inc. | In December 2025, the Alaska Attorney General announced a settlement with Lithia Motors for deceptive advertising at five Alaska dealerships. Lithia charged customers dealer fees not included in adver... |
| LAUR | LAUREATE EDUCATION INC | Walden University, formerly owned by Laureate Education, deliberately targeted Black and female students for its Doctor of Business Administration program using what the court described as a 'concerte... |
| LEN | LENNAR A CORP | Lennar Corp exhibits a pattern of delivering structurally defective homes to vulnerable communities. The Seminole Tribe lawsuit documents collapsed roofs, black mold, and forced evacuation of 1,000+ r... |
| LIVE | LIVE VENTURES INC | Live Ventures operates a business model centered on the acquisition and consolidation of small to mid-sized companies across various sectors, including flooring, steel, and entertainment. This roll-up... |
| LOPE | GRAND CANYON EDUCATION INC | Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (GCE) operates the for-profit arm of Grand Canyon University (GCU), a business model centered on aggressive, deceptive marketing of doctoral and other graduate programs to... |
| LRN | Stride, Inc | Stride, Inc. (LRN) operates as a for-profit education service provider, contracting with public school districts to manage online K-12 academies. Its business model relies on converting per-pupil publ... |
| META | Meta Platforms, Inc. | As of March 2026, Facebook is in the midst of a landmark jury trial facing allegations that it intentionally generates billions in revenue from illegal and fraudulent advertisements. A November 2025 l... |
| MOH | MOLINA HEALTHCARE INC | Pattern of Medicaid fraud: Molina Healthcare paid $4.6M (June 2022) to settle False Claims Act violations for submitting reimbursement claims to MassHealth while failing to properly license and superv... |
| MTCH | Match Group | Guardian investigation (December 2025) and lawsuit alleging Match Group (Tinder/Hinge) failed to protect users from sexual predators and trafficking. Pattern of inadequate safety measures enabling har... |
| NVR | NVR INC | NVR is currently a defendant in a class-action lawsuit (Butakis v. NVR Inc., 2023) alleging the fraudulent misrepresentation of "Special Assessments" to home buyers. The complaint asserts that NVR and... |
| ODD | Oddity Tech Ltd. | Oddity Tech is a direct-to-consumer beauty and wellness company (IL Makiage, SpoiledChild). In 2026, multiple securities class action lawsuits were filed alleging the company misled investors about it... |
| PGR | PROGRESSIVE CORP | In 2025, Progressive settled a $48 million class-action lawsuit over vehicle "total loss" valuation practices. The suit alleged Progressive systematically undervalued totaled vehicles to underpay poli... |
| PRDO | PERDOCEO EDUCATION CORP | Perdoceo Education Corporation, operating through its subsidiaries Colorado Technical University and American InterContinental University, has a business model centered on recruiting and enrolling stu... |
| PRGS | Progress Software | Progress Software’s MOVEit Transfer file transfer solution contained a zero-day SQL injection vulnerability that was mass‑exploited by the Clop ransomware group in May 2023. The breach exposed sensiti... |
| PRI | Primerica | MLM sales structure incentivizes unsuitable switching of working-class clients into high-fee variable annuities (1.30% M&E + up to 2.26% sub-account expenses + 5.75% dealer commission + 8.5% surrender... |
| RELX | RELX Inc | RELX operates Elsevier, a scientific publishing division generating approximately 35% of total revenue. Elsevier's business model relies on a "triple pay" structure: publicly funded researchers produc... |
| SBUX | Starbucks Corporation | Starbucks Corporation has faced repeated legal and community challenges over its market expansion tactics, which critics and plaintiffs have characterized as predatory. A 2016 antitrust lawsuit allege... |
| SCOR | COMSCORE INC | Comscore operates a digital media measurement and analytics business that has faced regulatory scrutiny for its business practices. In 2014, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an administrative ... |
| SLDE | SLIDE INSURANCE HOLDINGS INC | ### The Florida "Depopulation" Engine: Concise Summary Slide (SLDE) and Heritage (HRTG) grow primarily through a state-sanctioned process that offloads risk from Florida's taxpayer-backed "insurer of... |
| SN | SHARKNINJA INC | SharkNinja recalled approximately 1.84 million Ninja Foodi OP300 Series pressure cookers in May 2025 after the CPSC documented 106 burn injury reports, including over 50 cases of second- or third-degr... |
| SSTK | SHUTTERSTOCK INC | Non-consensual image commercialization: marketplace model permits sale of photographs of identifiable individuals without right-of-publicity clearance; images have appeared in political, financial, an... |
| STRA | Strategic Education, Inc. | Strategic Education Inc. operates for-profit Capella University and Strayer University. Capella faced a class-action lawsuit alleging it misled doctoral students about time-to-degree, trapping them in... |
| TMDX | TRANSMEDICS GROUP INC | Scorpion Capital published a detailed investigative report in January 2025 alleging that TransMedics conceals adverse data on rejected organs processed through its National OCS Program (NOP) and misre... |
| UNH | UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC | The U.S. Department of Justice sued to block UnitedHealth Group's $13 billion acquisition of Change Healthcare, alleging the deal would give UnitedHealth control over a critical healthcare data cleari... |
| VZ | Verizon Communications Inc. | Class actions for billing rates above advertised prices via hidden "administrative charges"; deceptive "free phone" promotions resulting in hundreds of dollars in customer charges; $10M multi-state AG... |
| WHR | Whirlpool Corporation | Whirlpool Corporation designs its appliances with integrated electronic control boards and specialized components available only through Whirlpool-authorized channels. This forces consumers and indepe... |
| WMT | Walmart Inc. | The FTC secured a $100M settlement against Walmart in February 2026 for deceptive practices in its Spark Driver delivery gig platform. Walmart misrepresented base pay, tips, and incentive opportunitie... |
| Z | Zillow Group Inc | Zillow Group operates the dominant U.S. real estate marketplace. The company faces a class action alleging deceptive practices in its home loan division, including kickback schemes to steer consumers ... |
| ZI | ZoomInfo Technologies Inc. | ZoomInfo Technologies commercialized individuals' names, professional identities, work histories, job titles, business addresses, and partial contact information without consent to advertise and sell ... |
The Naughty List
A digest of changes to our exclusion list — new additions, removals, and the evidence behind them. We review the list continuously as new evidence surfaces.
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