WASHINGTON, D.C. — Corpay Inc., formerly FleetCor Technologies Inc., and Chief Executive Officer Ronald Clarke agreed to pay $100 million to resolve a Federal Trade Commission administrative action stemming from findings that the fuel-card company charged unauthorized fees and misrepresented customer savings, with the money designated for affected business customers.
The proposed settlement follows years of litigation that began when the FTC sued FleetCor and Clarke in 2019. A federal district court granted summary judgment to the FTC in 2023, finding that FleetCor charged hidden or unauthorized fees and made deceptive representations about fuel-card savings and fees.
A federal appeals court in 2026 upheld the judgment against FleetCor on all counts and affirmed the permanent injunction against the company. It upheld the judgment against Clarke on all but one count while vacating the injunction against him.
The FTC alleged that FleetCor imposed hundreds of millions of dollars in fees that tens of thousands of customers, predominantly small businesses, had not knowingly agreed to pay. The agency also accused the company of charging late fees to customers who had paid on time or whom FleetCor had prevented from making timely payments.
According to the FTC, FleetCor sometimes waited several billing cycles before adding fees and did not disclose some charges directly on invoices. Customers instead had to consult other account-management reports, where the agency alleged some fees were obscured or omitted.
The federal court’s existing injunction permanently prohibits the company from billing customers for charges without express informed consent and clear disclosure. It also bars FleetCor from concealing material information about charges behind hyperlinks or making deceptive claims about its fuel cards.
Under the administrative settlement, FleetCor and Clarke will pay $100 million for consumer redress. They also agreed not to oppose reimposition of a federal court injunction against Clarke.
“FleetCor deceived its small business customers by promising fuel savings that never materialized, while unfairly charging them hidden and unauthorized fees,” Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said.
The FTC voted 1-0-1 to accept the consent agreement, with Chairman Andrew Ferguson recused. The matter remains pending while the agency completes its administrative process.
The proposed agreement will be open for public comment for 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register. The commission will then decide whether to make the consent order final.
A final FTC consent order carries the force of law, and future violations can result in civil penalties of as much as $53,088 per violation.
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