Consumer Protection

  • June 28, 2024

    Shkreli Asks High Court To Toss $64M Disgorgement Order

    Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, who gained notoriety for hiking the price of HIV/AIDS medication before serving more than four years in prison for securities fraud, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to toss a disgorgement order requiring him to pay $64 million for monopolistic price-gouging.

  • June 28, 2024

    6th Circ. Won't Move Net Neutrality Challenges To DC

    The Sixth Circuit on Friday denied a bid to transfer challenges to the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules to the D.C. Circuit.

  • June 28, 2024

    The NFL Lost Big: What Happened, What Happens Next

    A California federal jury's rebuke of the NFL's Sunday Ticket broadcast package has the league staring down a $4.7 billion class action verdict, prompting experts to wonder why the league was willing to risk a jury trial in the first place and how it will try to overturn the verdict now that it lost.

  • June 28, 2024

    Insurer Says It Owes No Coverage In Hair Relaxer Litigation

    As a beauty manufacturer faces allegations that its line of hair relaxers contain carcinogenic ingredients, Selective Way Insurance Co. has asked a Georgia federal judge to release it from having to cover the company's defense in a sprawling multidistrict litigation.

  • June 28, 2024

    Maxeon Was Overreliant On SunPower Sales, Investor Says

    Maxeon Solar Technologies was hit with a proposed shareholder class action alleging that the company concealed that a significant portion of its business depended on exclusive sales of certain products to its former parent company, SunPower Corp., and that a terminated contract between the two would lead to a 41% revenue drop for Maxeon.

  • June 28, 2024

    SEC Sues Crypto Software Firm Consensys

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued blockchain firm Consensys Software Inc. on Friday for allegedly acting as an unregistered broker and facilitating unregistered securities sales through software products that allow users to buy and sell digital assets tied to so-called staking programs.

  • June 28, 2024

    Satellite Cos. Call For More Detail On FCC's Space Debris Plan

    Satellite companies are telling the Federal Communications Commission that more work needs to be done before it moves forward on an accidental explosion probability threshold for satellites, with several arguing in recent weeks that the agency needs more comment to establish a clear metric.

  • June 28, 2024

    Insurer Says Kennel Expansion Complaints Not Covered

    A Hanover unit told a California federal court that it has no obligation to defend a dog kennel in an underlying lawsuit alleging that the kennel's expansion, which increased capacity from about 20 dogs to 200 dogs, interfered with the community's rights of possession.

  • June 28, 2024

    Philips Gets OK For $25M Med Monitoring Deal In CPAP MDL

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has given the go-ahead to a $25 million medical monitoring settlement in multidistrict litigation stemming from a recall of ventilator machines by Koninklijke Philips NV and some of its American subsidiaries.

  • June 28, 2024

    EU Wraps Antitrust Probe Of Microsoft's OpenAI Stake

    The European antitrust authorities have ended their probe into tech giant Microsoft's control of authority in artificial intelligence-powered chatbot ChatGPT's owner OpenAI, but are switching the angle of the investigation in the partnership that could lead to a formal competition probe.

  • June 28, 2024

    Providers Need More Time To Meet SIM Swap Rules, FCC Told

    Mobile providers are increasing pressure on the Federal Communications Commission for more time to roll out new phone card swapping policies to comply with an FCC rule aiming to protect wireless consumers from fraud.

  • June 28, 2024

    High Court Enters July With 3 Rulings To Go

    In a rare move, the U.S. Supreme Court will issue opinions into the beginning of July as the court tries to clear its merits docket of three remaining cases dealing with presidential immunity, whether governments can control social media platforms' content moderation policies and the appropriate deadline to challenge agency action. 

  • June 28, 2024

    Supreme Court Strikes Down Chevron Deference

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned a decades-old precedent that instructed judges about when they could defer to federal agencies' interpretations of law in rulemaking, depriving courts of a commonly used analytic tool and leaving lots of questions about what comes next.

  • June 27, 2024

    DOJ Defends Transport Monopoly Charges In Antitrust Case

    Federal prosecutors have opposed an accused conspirator's bid to dismiss charges against him in an antitrust case claiming he's one of a dozen individuals who monopolized cross-border sales of used vehicles and other goods from the U.S. to Central America through violence.

  • June 27, 2024

    High Court Liberals Warn Jarkesy's Reach Will Be Widespread

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to limit the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's use of its in-house courts will have "momentous consequences" for dozens of agencies tasked with overseeing the electric grid, environmental regulations and consumer protection laws, the court's liberal wing has warned.

  • June 27, 2024

    State AGs Want Stay Lifted In Generic Drug Pricing Suit

    The attorneys general of New York and Connecticut have asked a federal judge to lift a partial discovery stay in three state-led generic drug pricing lawsuits against the pharmaceutical industry, saying it is no longer necessary because sentencing is complete in a parallel U.S. Department of Justice proceeding.

  • June 27, 2024

    Interest Groups Want To Join 6th Circ. Net Neutrality Appeals

    The Sixth Circuit should allow several public interest groups to intervene in the bundle of net neutrality challenges currently before the appellate court, in case there's an administration change and the FCC switches positions on the matter, those groups are arguing.

  • June 27, 2024

    CBD Cos. Say Iowa Hemp Law Could Destroy State Industry

    A slew of hemp retailers, farmers, manufacturers and distributors urged a federal judge to block a law allowing the state to impose new rules over the hemp industry, set to go into effect Monday, saying the regulations would wipe out "the entire consumable hemp industry in Iowa."

  • June 27, 2024

    Texas DAs Escape Defendant Class Cert. In Abortion Case

    A Texas federal judge on Wednesday rejected a bid to force state prosecutors to become a certified class of defendants in a suit aimed to curb retaliation against advocates who help women get an abortion outside the state, saying there was no risk of varying adjudications.

  • June 27, 2024

    FCC's Unlocked Phone Regs Could Affect Existing Contracts

    A Federal Communications Commission plan to require the "unlocking" of cellphones so consumers can easily switch providers could impose rules on existing mobile contracts, but the FCC said Thursday that it might apply only to future agreements.

  • June 27, 2024

    Telecom Co. Says It Isn't Liable For Biden AI 'Deepfake'

    Telecommunications company Lingo is asking a New Hampshire federal judge to release it from the League of Women Voters' suit over voter suppression calls that used a deepfake of President Joe Biden's voice, saying this week that it was a victim of the scheme, not a participant.

  • June 27, 2024

    SEC Says It Met Its Burden To Apply Dealer Rule To Crypto

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told a Texas federal judge that the agency has met its burden to explain how its expanded definition of "dealer" applies to the crypto industry, urging the court to cut through an industry challenge.

  • June 27, 2024

    Live Nation Tries To Push DOJ's Antitrust Suit Out Of NY

    Counsel for Live Nation Entertainment and subsidiary Ticketmaster on Thursday told a skeptical Manhattan federal judge that the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust case belongs in D.C. federal court, where the green light was given for the companies' 2010 merger.

  • June 27, 2024

    Colo. AG's Kroger Merger Suit Survives Dismissal Bid

    A Colorado state judge has refused to toss a suit challenging Kroger's planned $24 billion purchase of Albertsons, rejecting the grocery chains' arguments that state enforcers are asking for an overly broad, nationwide injunction by seeking to block the deal.

  • June 27, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Revive Robinhood Investors' Meme Stock Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit has affirmed a lower court's dismissal of an investor antitrust suit against Robinhood Markets and Citadel Securities, holding that the investors failed to allege any plausible anti-competitive effects that occurred as a result of the platforms allegedly conspiring to restrict trades of "meme" stocks like GameStop in 2021.

Expert Analysis

  • 'Food As Health' Serves Up Fresh Legal Considerations

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    The growth of food as medicine presents a significant opportunity for healthcare organizations and nontraditional healthcare players to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs, though these innovative programs also bring compliance considerations that must be carefully navigated, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Aviation Watch: Mostly Smooth Landing For New FAA Law

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    The recently signed Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act enhances air safety in several key ways, including strengthened passenger rights and cockpit voice recorder requirements, but an expansion of slot exemptions at Reagan National Airport is a notable misstep, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Series

    In The CFPB Playbook: Regulatory Aims Get High Court Assist

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    Newly emboldened after the U.S. Supreme Court last month found that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding is constitutional, the bureau has likely experienced a psychic boost, allowing its already robust enforcement agenda to continue expanding, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • FTC Theories Of Harm After Anesthesia Co. Ruling

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    As Federal Trade Commission litigation against U.S. Anesthesia Partners proceeds following a Texas federal court's recent decision to dismiss a private equity sponsor from the suit, the case attempts to incorporate and advance some of the commission's theories of competitive harm from the final 2023 Merger Guidelines, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • FTC Hearing On Fake Review Rule Stressed Compliance Costs

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    The Federal Trade Commission is likely to finalize its proposed rule to prohibit marketers from using deceptive practices in their product reviews after an informal hearing covered arguments over whether costs of implementing the rule, such as review moderation and software maintenance, would be minimal, says Jeffrey Edelstein at Manatt.

  • FTC Focus: Exploring The Meaning Of Orange Book Letters

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently announced an expansion of its campaign to promote competition by targeting pharmaceutical manufacturers' improper Orange Book patent listings, but there is a question of whether and how this helps generic entrants, say Colin Kass and David Munkittrick at Proskauer.

  • 3 Recent Decisions To Note As Climate Litigation Heats Up

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    Three recent rulings on climate-related issues — from a New York federal court, a New York state court and an international tribunal, respectively — demonstrate both regulators' concern about climate change and the complexity of conflicting regulations in different jurisdictions, say J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 12 Keys To Successful Post-Trial Juror Interviews

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    Post-trial interviews offer attorneys an avenue to gain valuable insights into juror decision making and get feedback that can inform future litigation strategies, but certain best practices must be followed to get the most out of this research tool, say Alexa Hiley and Brianna Smith at IMS Legal.

  • How Employers, Attorneys Can Respond To Noncompete Ban

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    As the Federal Trade Commission's recently issued noncompete ban faces ongoing legal challenges, now is a good time for employers to consider whether they want to take a wait-and-see approach before halting use of noncompetes and for practitioners to gain insight into other tools available to protect their clients' business interests, says Jennifer Platzkere Snyder at Dilworth Paxson.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: May Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from automobile insurance to securities — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including circuit-specific ascertainability requirements and how to conduct a Daubert analysis prior to class certification.

  • New TSCA Risk Rule Gives EPA Broad Discretion On Science

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent final amendments to its framework for evaluating the risks of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act give it vast discretion over consideration of scientific information, without objective criteria to guide that discretion, say John McGahren and Debra Carfora at Morgan Lewis.

  • Perspectives

    Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys

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    As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.

  • CFPB's Expanding Scope Evident In Coding Bootcamp Fine

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent penalty against a for-profit coding bootcamp that misrepresented its tuition financing plans is a sign that the bureau is seeking to wield its supervisory and enforcement powers in more industries that offer consumer financing, say Jason McElroy and Brandon Sherman at Saul Ewing.

  • Fintech Compliance Amid Regulatory Focus On Sensitive Data

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent, expansive pursuit of financial services companies using sensitive personal information signals a move into the Federal Trade Commission's territory, and the path forward for fintech and financial service providers involves a balance between innovation and compliance, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.

  • 4 Arbitration Takeaways From High Court Coinbase Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's May 23 decision in Coinbase v. Suski, which provides clarity to parties faced with successive contracts containing conflicting dispute resolution provisions, has four practical impacts for contracting parties to consider, say Charles Schoenwetter and Eric Olson at Bowman and Brooke.

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