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Consumer Protection
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June 26, 2024
NJ Cos. Can't Toss Contamination Claim In Green Groups' Suit
A New Jersey federal judge won't let NL Industries Inc. and a subsidiary escape claims by two environmental groups under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, saying it's undisputed that the companies are considered persons who handled hazardous waste.
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June 26, 2024
Six Flags, Cedar To Close $8B Merger Following DOJ OK
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. and Ohio-based amusement park peer Cedar Fair LP have cleared regulatory scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice, paving the way for a July 1 closing of the two companies' previously announced blockbuster $8 billion merger.
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June 26, 2024
Olo Moots Investor's Chancery Suit By Axing Free Takeover
Directors of New York-based online food-ordering venture Olo have mooted a proposed class challenge to a company stock buyback program by effectively barring moves that would give the company's top investor majority control of the business, Delaware's chancellor ruled on Monday.
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June 26, 2024
Calif. AG Defends Chemical Org's Subpoena In Pollution Probe
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is urging a D.C. federal judge to reject a bid from the American Chemistry Council that would block his office from enforcing a subpoena on the organization as part of an investigation into fossil fuel and petrochemical industries' role in global plastics pollution.
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June 26, 2024
Calif. Atty Won't Contest Claim He Stole Up To $282M
A California lawyer has stopped defending himself against bar discipline charges that accuse him of stealing as much as $282 million from clients, and his posture has forced the cancelation of a trial that was scheduled for this week and makes his disbarment almost certain.
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June 26, 2024
House GOP Gears Up For The End Of Chevron Deference
A new memo outlines how House Republicans are gearing up for the U.S. Supreme Court to potentially overturn the decades-old precedent that courts defer to agencies' interpretations of ambiguous statutes, as an opportunity to roll back the Biden administration's policies and reclaim Congress' power.
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June 26, 2024
FCC Allows Foreign Stake In Montana Telecom After Review
The Federal Communications Commission is allowing a pair of foreign nationals to move forward with their acquisition of Montana telecommunications company iSmart and its multinational parent, saying the federal government concluded a national security review of the transfer and that iSmart's parent company, Truphone, satisfied requirements from a 2022 consent decree it entered with the FCC.
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June 26, 2024
UK Man Avoids Jail In $13M Whiskey, Wine Investment Scam
A London native was sentenced to three years of probation by an Ohio federal judge after pleading guilty to cold-calling elderly people and falsely promising large returns for investing in wine and whiskey.
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June 26, 2024
Macy's Email Demand Violates Privacy Law, Shopper Says
A requirement that Massachusetts consumers making online purchases from Macy's provide an email address to complete a transaction violates the state's consumer privacy law, a proposed class action filed Tuesday alleges.
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June 26, 2024
Crypto ATM Co. Coinme Taps MoneyGram Atty As Legal Head
Crypto exchange and kiosk operator Coinme has brought on the former general counsel at payments firm MoneyGram to head its legal and compliance departments, the firm said on Wednesday.
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June 25, 2024
Bank Groups Rip CFPB Stance On Wire Rules In NY's Citi Suit
Banking trade groups have slammed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for backing the New York attorney general's office in a lawsuit over Citibank's handling of online wire fraud claims, arguing the agency's support for a key legal position in the case marks a "complete reversal" from its past views.
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June 25, 2024
Disney Must Face Trimmed ESPN Streaming Fee Antitrust Suit
A California federal judge on Tuesday threw out some antitrust claims in a sprawling proposed class action over Disney's ESPN livestreaming carriage agreements, although he permitted other portions of the suit to proceed, finding that consumers have adequately alleged Disney's actions could have hobbled competition.
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June 25, 2024
Tuna Buyers Settle $1B Price-Fixing Claims Before July Trial
Tuna buyers seeking $1 billion in damages over allegations that StarKist, its parent company and a private investment firm that put money into Bumble Bee Foods conspired to hike the price of the tinned fish have reached settlements just ahead of trial, according to a California federal judge's order Tuesday.
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June 25, 2024
Google Says Epic's Play Store Changes Could Cost $137M
Google urged a California federal judge Monday to reject Epic Games' proposed Play Store remedies following Epic Games' antitrust jury trial win, arguing that the changes could cost up to $137 million plus ongoing maintenance costs and create new security risks while potentially harming Google's reputation.
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June 25, 2024
Temu Is A 'Data-Theft' Biz And Not Marketplace, Ark. AG Says
App-based online shopping platform Temu is in reality "dangerous malware" that can override phone privacy settings and collect sensitive user information, according to a "first-of-its-kind" state lawsuit by Arkansas alleging deceptive trade practices and privacy violations.
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June 25, 2024
2 Federal Judges Stall Biden's Student Loan Debt Relief
Federal judges in Kansas and Missouri on Monday partially blocked the Biden administration from implementing its latest student debt relief program, with both finding that Congress did not give clear authorization through the Higher Education Act for the loan forgiveness plan, as argued by the federal government.
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June 25, 2024
Judge Likely To Block Medical Record Co.'s Anti-Bot CAPTCHAs
A Maryland federal judge appeared ready to enjoin electronic medical records company PointClickCare from restricting nursing home analytics company Real Time Medical Systems' automated access to its online repositories Tuesday, potentially taking an early crack at defining the 21st Century Cures Act's data sharing provisions.
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June 25, 2024
AT&T Says No Windfall From FirstNet Managing 4.9 GHz Band
AT&T is finally weighing in on the robust debate over whether the FCC should hand over control of the recently revamped 4.9 gigahertz public safety band to an entity with strong ties to the telecom behemoth, denying that it would get a "windfall" if the agency were to go through with it.
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June 25, 2024
Bulk Of Colo. Climate Case Against Oil Giants Beats Dismissal
A Colorado state judge has paved the way for a county's lawsuit against major oil and gas companies that aims to hold them liable for damages caused by climate change, rejecting bids to toss claims for public and private nuisance, conspiracy and unjust enrichment.
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June 25, 2024
4th Circ. Revives Arranger Liability Claims In Superfund Suit
The Fourth Circuit revived claims Tuesday against six companies that arranged the disposal of hazardous waste in the 68th Street dump site in Baltimore County, Maryland, ruling that a lower court was wrong to say the companies needed to know that the waste was hazardous to be liable for cleanup costs.
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June 25, 2024
Adviser, Firm Owe SEC $425K For Mishandling Crypto Assets
A Florida federal judge on Tuesday approved approximately $425,000 in settlements in a suit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission against an investment adviser and its owner, alleging they hid investment strategies and lost control of the firm's recordkeeping, preventing them from accessing crypto assets possibly worth $10 million.
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June 25, 2024
CFPB Delays Start Of Small-Biz Loan Rule Deadlines Until '25
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday formally pushed back the compliance deadlines for its contested rule that establishes reporting requirements for the small-business lending market, putting nearly 10 more months on the clock for banks and other lenders after a court-ordered stay.
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June 25, 2024
USDA Tackles 'Inconsistent' Court Handling Of Packers Suits
The U.S. Department of Agriculture sought Tuesday to empower itself, and perhaps individual farmers, in lawsuits against allegedly unfair practices in the livestock, meat and poultry industries, by proposing a new rule that would replace the current case-by-case adjudication of what counts as a violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act.
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June 25, 2024
Norfolk Southern Torched In NTSB Final Derailment Findings
Norfolk Southern used "reprehensible" tactics to interfere with the investigation into last year's derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and pushed for an "unnecessary" controlled vent and burn of highly flammable vinyl chloride during the accident's chaotic aftermath, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.
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June 25, 2024
Judge Tosses Skiers' Last Bid For COVID Shutdown Damages
A final attempt by ski pass holders to receive damages after resort giant Vail Corp. shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 ended Tuesday when a Colorado federal judge dismissed the putative class action and its breach-of-contract claim.
Expert Analysis
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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CFPB Reality Check: Video Game Cash Is Still Money
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent report examining payments within online video games indicates that financial services offered within the game marketplace are quickly evolving to the point where they are indistinguishable from traditional financial services subject to regulation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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What CRA Deadline Means For Biden Admin. Rulemaking
With the 2024 election rapidly approaching, the Biden administration must race to finalize proposed agency actions within the next few weeks, or be exposed to the chance that the following Congress will overturn the rules under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Covington.
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The Legal Issues Raised In Minn. Rate Exportation Opt-Out Bill
A recent Minnesota House bill would amend state law by opting out of the federal interest rate preemption and introduce several legal gray areas if passed, including issues regarding loan location, rates on credit card loans and values of state charters, says Karen Grandstrand at Fredrikson & Byron.
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Keeping Up With Class Actions: A New Era Of Higher Stakes
Corporate defendants saw unprecedented settlement numbers across all areas of class action litigation in 2022 and 2023, and this year has kept pace so far, with three settlements that stand out for the nature of the claims and for their high dollar amounts, says Gerald Maatman at Duane Morris.
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What's Notable In JAMS' New Mass Arbitration Rules
The Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services’ recently released guidelines, coming on the heels of similar American Arbitration Association amendments, suggests that mass arbitrations will remain an efficient means for consumers to vindicate their rights against companies, say Jonathan Waisnor and Brandon Heitmann at Labaton Keller.
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5 Climate Change Regulatory Issues Insurers Should Follow
The climate change landscape for insurers has changed dramatically recently — and not just because of the controversy over the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related risk disclosure rules, says Thomas Dawson at McDermott.
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How New Rule Would Change CFIUS Enforcement Powers
Before the May 15 comment deadline, companies may want to weigh in on proposed regulatory changes to enforcement and mitigation tools at the disposal of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, including broadened subpoena powers, difficult new mitigation timelines and higher maximum penalties, say attorneys at Venable.
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Is The Digital Accessibility Storm Almost Over?
Though private businesses have faced a decadelong deluge of digital accessibility complaints in the absence of clear regulations or uniformity among the courts, attorneys at Epstein Becker address how recent federal courts’ pushback against serial Americans with Disabilities Act plaintiffs and the U.S. Department of Justice’s proposed government accessibility standards may presage a break in the downpour.
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PE In The Crosshairs Of Public And Private Antitrust Enforcers
A series of decisions from a California federal court in the recently settled Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, as well as heightened scrutiny from federal agencies, serve as a reminder that private equity firms may be exposed to liability for alleged anti-competitive conduct by their portfolio companies, say attorneys at Axinn.
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Series
Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.
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Key Priorities In FDIC Report On Resolving Big Bank Failures
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s report last month on the resolvability of large financial institutions contains little new information, but it does reiterate key policy priorities, including the agency's desire to enhance loss-absorbing capacity through long-term debt requirements and preference for single-point-of-entry resolution strategies, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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Microplastics At The Crossroads Of Regulation And Litigation
Though there are currently not many federal regulations specifically addressing microplastics as pollutants, regulatory scrutiny and lawsuits asserting consumer protection claims are both on the rise, and manufacturers should take proactive steps to implement preventive measures accordingly, say Aliza Karetnick and Franco Corrado at Morgan Lewis.
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New Federal Bill Would Drastically Alter Privacy Landscape
While the recently introduced American Privacy Rights Act would eliminate the burdensome patchwork of state regulations, the proposed federal privacy law would also significantly expand compliance obligations and liability exposure for companies, especially those that rely on artificial intelligence or biometric technologies, says David Oberly at Baker Donelson.
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Opinion
CFPB Could, And Should, Revise Open Banking Rulemaking
In light of continued global developments in open banking, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should evaluate whether it actually should use its proposed rule on Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act to amplify personal financial data rights in the U.S., says Brian Fritzsche at the Consumer Bankers Association.