Consumer Protection

  • October 04, 2024

    Attys Tried To Coerce Client For Larger Fee, Texas Court Rules

    A Texas appeals court found that two attorneys tried to finagle a higher fee out of their client by threatening her with a lawsuit if she didn't fork over a larger amount than was specified in their contract, with the three-judge panel overruling all the attorneys' issues.

  • October 04, 2024

    Evolve Bank Faces MDL Over Breach Of 7.6M Customers' Data

    Nearly two dozen proposed class actions accusing Evolve Bank & Trust of failing to adequately protect the personal information of 7.6 million customers from a cyberattack by a Russia-linked cybercrime gang will be centralized in Tennessee, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has ruled, expressing their confidence in the judge selected to preside over the MDL.

  • October 04, 2024

    Thrivent Unit Pays SEC Fine Over Alleged Reg BI Lapses

    Thrivent Investment Management Inc. has settled the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's allegations that it violated Regulation Best Interest when recommending certain investments to customers enrolled in college savings plans when lower-priced options were available.

  • October 04, 2024

    Subaru Drivers Get Initial OK On Cracked Windshields Deal

    A class of at least a million Subaru customers received preliminary blessing from a New Jersey magistrate judge for a settlement that would end the five-year dispute and cover 100% or more out-of-pocket costs to fix or replace allegedly defective windshields that spontaneously cracked.

  • October 04, 2024

    Antitrust Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Revive Price-Fixing Suit

    Three antitrust advocacy groups asked the Ninth Circuit to resuscitate a proposed class action accusing several hotel operators and two software companies in Nevada federal court of engaging in a price-fixing scheme involving algorithmic software.

  • October 04, 2024

    State Fair Case Creates Tension For Gun And Property Rights

    The State Fair of Texas kicked off a week ago with its usual offerings of splashing neon and deep-fried Oreos, but with its opening the fair has become the center of a legal question the Texas Supreme Court may have difficulty wrangling as it seeks to sort out the tension between the rights of gun owners and property owners.

  • October 04, 2024

    Meta Investors Seek Sanctions Over Execs' Deleted Emails

    Meta Platforms Inc. shareholders suing over the Facebook Cambridge Analytica data scandal urged a Delaware Chancery Court Thursday to sanction Meta board members Jeffrey Zients and Sheryl Sandberg for allegedly spoiling evidence by using their personal email accounts to discuss the scandal and then deleting large portions of their correspondence.

  • October 04, 2024

    11th Circ. Sends Tribal Loan Dispute Back For Arbitration

    An Eleventh Circuit panel has reversed and remanded a lower court's ruling that a Tampa-based consumer collection company cannot compel arbitration in a bid seeking payment on a tribally owned firm's loans, arguing provisions of the agreements require such proceedings under tribal and federal law.

  • October 04, 2024

    Coinbase To Limit Stablecoins That Don't Meet New EU Rules

    Crypto exchange Coinbase said Friday that it plans to delist certain stable-value tokens for users in the European Union if the tokens don't meet soon-to-be-effective guidelines under the jurisdiction's crypto regime.

  • October 04, 2024

    Tractor Fluid MDL's $32M Settlement To Move Forward

    A Missouri federal judge has given the go-ahead to a $32 million settlement between tractor owners and a pair of hydraulic fluid makers to resolve claims in multidistrict litigation alleging the fluid was defective and damaged vehicles that used it.

  • October 04, 2024

    Hemp Org, Cheech & Chong Seek Halt Of Calif. Hemp Ban

    A leading hemp industry trade organization, along with the cannabis brand fronted by stoner comedians Cheech & Chong, have asked a Los Angeles state judge to halt enforcement of new California emergency regulations banning the sale of hemp products with THC.

  • October 04, 2024

    FCC Aims To Open More 6 GHz To Very Low Power Devices

    The Federal Communications Commission said Friday it wants to clear two more portions of the 6 gigahertz spectrum band for very low power unlicensed devices, like virtual reality gear, while still protecting licensed incumbents that use the same swath of airwaves.

  • October 04, 2024

    EPA Finalizes Stronger Pesticide Rules For Farmworker Safety

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule strengthening protections for agricultural workers who could be exposed to pesticides, standards that had been weakened by the Trump administration.

  • October 04, 2024

    Tempur Sealy, Mattress Firm Sue To Block FTC Merger Case

    Tempur Sealy International Inc. and Mattress Firm Group Inc. told a Texas federal court on Friday that the Federal Trade Commission's in-house process violates the Constitution, so the agency's case challenging their planned $4 billion merger should be blocked.

  • October 04, 2024

    Albertsons Inks $3.9M Overcharge Deal With Calif. DAs

    Albertsons and its affiliate companies have agreed to pay $3.9 million to settle a civil enforcement action accusing them of bilking shoppers by charging higher prices for grocery items than what was advertised, according to an announcement made by several California district attorneys. 

  • October 04, 2024

    Epic Doubts Apple's Privilege Assertions In Antitrust Fight

    Epic Games told a California federal magistrate judge overseeing discovery in its antitrust compliance fight with Apple on Friday that it's concerned Apple has wrongly asserted privilege in more than half the documents it has declined to produce, while adding "we don't want to spend months here duking this out."

  • October 04, 2024

    Up First At High Court: Civil Rights, Ghost Guns, Atty Fees

    The U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes Monday to start a brand-new term, with the justices first hearing arguments related to prerequisites for litigating federal rights in state courts, ghost gun regulations, and whether a death row inmate is entitled to a new trial after a state admits that prosecutorial misconduct might have led to his conviction.

  • October 04, 2024

    Judge Says Live Nation Case Runs Deeper Than Merger Pact

    In refusing to transfer the government's monopolization case against Live Nation, a New York federal judge said the settlement allowing the company's 2010 merger with Ticketmaster dealt only with potential problems that existed at the time and has no bearing on the new claims.

  • October 04, 2024

    NY Appeals Court Won't Trim Sex Abuse Coverage Dispute

    A New York state appeals court upheld a lower court's ruling declining to dismiss The Rockefeller University's claims that its insurers acted in bad faith and conducted deceptive trade practices while handling the university's coverage request for underlying allegations of sexual abuse.

  • October 04, 2024

    Northern Ireland Police Service Fined £750K Over Data Breach

    The United Kingdom's data protection watchdog has issued a £750,000 ($988,000) fine to Northern Ireland's police service after it exposed the personal information of all its 9,483 officers and staff as part of a freedom of information request gone wrong.

  • October 04, 2024

    High Court Takes Up E-Cig 'Forum Shopping' Appeal

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a Fifth Circuit ruling that allowed out-of-circuit e-cigarette manufacturers to seek judicial review before the New Orleans-based court so long as the petition is joined by a seller located in the circuit.

  • October 04, 2024

    High Court Will Hear TCPA Case Over Online Junk Faxes

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday it will review whether district courts must follow a Federal Communications Commission ruling that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act does not prohibit junk faxes that are received only via electronic inboxes.

  • October 03, 2024

    Biden Admin's Latest Debt Relief Plan Blocked In Missouri

    A Missouri federal judge Thursday blocked the Biden administration's latest student debt relief proposal, finding that the six Republican-led states leading the challenge will likely show the plan is unlawful, just a day after a Georgia federal judge knocked the Peach State out and punted the case to St. Louis.

  • October 03, 2024

    Fifth Third Bank Solar Panel Loan MDL Centralized In Minn.

    A collection of proposed class actions accusing Fifth Third Bank NA of hiding loan costs from customers will be consolidated in Minnesota, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ruled Thursday, noting that the judge assigned hasn't presided over an MDL yet.

  • October 03, 2024

    Univision Beats Subscribers' Class Status Bid In Privacy Suit

    A Florida federal judge denied Univision NOW subscribers class certification in their suit alleging the Spanish-language network's streaming platform violated their privacy by sharing their identities and video viewing histories with Meta Platforms Inc., saying the subscribers failed to show there were enough class members to warrant a class action.

Expert Analysis

  • How Transaction Lookbacks Can Guide Fintech Companies

    Author Photo

    As transaction lookbacks continue to be a key focus of enforcement actions, newer financial institutions like fintech companies should know they can benefit from proactively investigating their potential failure to identify suspicious activity, creating a compliance road map and building trust with regulators in the process, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

    Author Photo

    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

  • Opinion

    CFPB's AI Stance Backslides On Innovation Issues

    Author Photo

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent response to a Treasury Department's request for information about artificial intelligence in the financial services sector uses alarmist rhetoric about the technology's risks, ceding an opportunity to help shape this important discussion, says Mike Silver at Husch Blackwell.

  • How Ripple Final Judgment Fits In Broader Crypto Landscape

    Author Photo

    The Southern District of New York's recent $125 million civil penalty levied in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ripple will have a broad impact on the crypto industry as it was the first to hold that blind sales of digital assets are not securities, even if deemed securities in other circumstances, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • 5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond

    Author Photo

    As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.

  • The Bank Preemption Ripple Effects After Cantero, Flagstar

    Author Photo

    The importance of federal preemption for financial institutions will only increase as technology-driven innovations evolve, which is why the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cantero v. Bank of America and vacatur of Kivett v. Flagstar Bank have real modern-day significance for national banks, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • IP Hot Topic: The Intersection Of Trademark And Antitrust Law

    Author Photo

    Antitrust claims – like those in the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent case against Apple – are increasingly influencing trademark disputes and enforcement practices, demonstrating how antitrust law can dilute the power of a trademark, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • When Trauma Colors Testimony: How To Help Witnesses

    Author Photo

    As stress-related mental health issues continue to rise, trial attorneys must become familiar with a few key trauma-informed strategies to help witnesses get back on track — leaning in to the counselor aspect of their vocations, say Ava Hernández and Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.

  • Series

    Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.

  • What Cos. Need to Know About Battery Labeling Law

    Author Photo

    With new labeling requirements for button cell battery packaging taking effect in September, manufacturers and importers must review compliance, testing procedures, and necessary paperwork as the consequences of noncompliance can lead to costly penalties and supply chain woes, says Aasheesh Shravah at CM Law.

  • How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'

    Author Photo

    Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.

  • Banking Compliance Takeaways From Joint Agency Statement

    Author Photo

    Federal bank regulatory agencies’ recent joint statement warning of risks associated with third-party fintech deposit services spotlights a fundamental problem that may arise with bank deposit products that are made through increasingly complex customer relationships, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • When The Supreme Court Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade

    Author Photo

    Instead of grousing about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning long-standing precedents, attorneys should look to history for examples of how enterprising legal minds molded difficult decisions to their advantage, and figure out how to work with the cards they’ve been dealt, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • What BIPA Reform Law Means For Biometrics Litigation

    Author Photo

    A recently signed Illinois law amending the Biometric Information Privacy Act limits defendants' liability exposure on a per-scan basis and clarifies that electronic signatures constitute a valid written release, establishing additional issues that courts will need to address in future BIPA litigation, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process

    Author Photo

    Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Consumer Protection archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!