Consumer Protection

  • November 15, 2024

    Jordan Says DOJ, FTC, CFTC Teed Up Actions Ahead Of Trump

    House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, lambasted three federal departments and their leaders, accusing them of either trying to push out enforcement actions or make last-minute hires during President Joe Biden's final days in office.

  • November 15, 2024

    Natera Exec Calls Guardant's Cancer Test Claims 'Dangerous'

    Natera's president of clinical diagnostics testified at trial Friday in a California federal false advertising case that Guardant Health's claims about Guardant's competing colorectal cancer test were "false and misleading" and also "dangerous."

  • November 15, 2024

    Evian Wins Ax Of False Ad Suit As NY Judge Reverses Self

    A New York federal judge tossed, for now, a putative class action alleging Danone Waters of America deceptively labeled its Evian water bottles as "carbon-neutral," reversing his earlier decision that the representation could be misleading and ruling Thursday that Danone's website provided further explanation of what the term meant.

  • November 15, 2024

    X Sues To Block Calif.'s New Deepfake Political Ads Law

    X Corp. filed a lawsuit in California federal court seeking to block a new Golden State law aimed at combating artificial intelligence-generated deepfake political ads, claiming the regulation that takes effect in January is unconstitutional and violates Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

  • November 15, 2024

    Social Media Cos. Must Face Schools' Public Nuisance Claims

    Meta Platforms and other social media giants must face most of the public nuisance claims brought by school districts and local government entities in multidistrict litigation alleging the companies designed their platforms to addict children, a California federal judge ruled Friday.

  • November 15, 2024

    Kroger, Texas Ink $83M Deal Over Opioid Crisis

    Texas announced it has agreed to an $83 million settlement with Kroger to resolve the state's claims alleging the groceries and pharmacy chain maintained practices that contributed to the opioid crisis in Texas, apparently as part of a larger $1.37 billion agreement the retailer recently reached with several states.

  • November 15, 2024

    Ill. Biometric Privacy Changes Apply Retroactively, Judge Says

    The Illinois legislature's recent move to limit businesses' exposure under the state's landmark biometric privacy law applies to disputes that were brought before the change was approved, a federal judge has ruled in tossing a lawsuit over a transportation company's allegedly unlawful collection of an employee's fingerprints. 

  • November 15, 2024

    SEC Says Risky Bond Recommendations Violated Reg BI

    A Texas-headquartered broker-dealer has agreed to pay nearly $154,000 to resolve U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that it improperly recommended risky bonds in violation of the federal investor protection measure known as Regulation Best Interest.

  • November 15, 2024

    PBMs Denied Breakup Of Combined FTC Insulin Price Trial

    The Federal Trade Commission's allegations that pharmacy benefit manager giants Caremark Rx, Express Scripts and OptumRx are artificially inflating insulin prices through unfair rebate schemes will forge ahead as a single case following an in-house agency judge's refusal to break them into separate proceedings.

  • November 15, 2024

    Convicted TV Guru Trudeau, FTC Strike Deal In 21-Year Case

    An Illinois federal judge on Friday approved and offered high praise for a consent order negotiated by the Federal Trade Commission and weight-loss guru Kevin Trudeau, saying they did a "spectacularly good job" laying out the plan for Trudeau to pay the remaining $8 million he owes in the 21-year-old fraud case.

  • November 15, 2024

    Despite Vaccine Spotlight, RFK Jr. A Health Policy 'Unknown'

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be the nation's top health official, has made clear his unorthodox and often false views on public health issues like vaccines. But there's still plenty of policy under his potential control where his stance remains opaque, attorneys say, which could stymie their efforts to prepare for the next four years.

  • November 15, 2024

    Wash. Judge Says Junk Text Suit Must Lose Autodialer Claims

    Consumers who were peppered with hundreds of unwanted text messages from a home improvement platform can move forward with their $400 million lawsuit accusing the company of ignoring the Do Not Call Registry, but will lose their autodialer claims, a Washington federal judge has ruled.

  • November 15, 2024

    Kalshi Fires Back At CFTC's 'Futile' Election Betting Appeal

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is attempting to "rewrite" its governing statute by claiming that placing bets on the outcome of elections is a form of prohibited gaming, trading platform KalshiEx LLC told the D.C. Circuit on Friday as it fought to continue listing election contracts in the future.

  • November 15, 2024

    Meet Trump's Solicitor General Nominee John Sauer

    A former Missouri solicitor general who later convinced the U.S. Supreme Court that former presidents have sweeping immunity from prosecution for their official acts is poised to become the next U.S. solicitor general, joining other members of President-elect Donald Trump's criminal defense team who are slated to take top roles at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • November 15, 2024

    GAO Says EPA Must Act On Waste Sites' Climate Risks

    Nearly 70% of the nation's hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities are vulnerable to climate change impacts such as flooding, wildfires, storm surge and sea level rise, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency needs to be more proactive, a new federal report says.

  • November 15, 2024

    California Blames Travelers For Rot Remediation Policy Deceit

    In a case with potentially untold financial consequences, California district attorneys are blaming Travelers in state court for trying to attract customers by offering coverage for fungi and rot remediation for years without adequately disclosing stringent exclusions to state policyholders, in violation of state code.

  • November 15, 2024

    GM's Cruise Accepts $500K Criminal Fine Over Robotaxi Crash

    Cruise LLC, the autonomous vehicles subsidiary of General Motors Co., has agreed to pay $500,000 in criminal fines to end claims that it made false statements to federal highway investigators by omitting that one of its vehicles dragged a pedestrian over 20 feet, according to an announcement by federal prosecutors.

  • November 15, 2024

    Paxton Says Texas Porn Site Law 'Modest' Way To End 'Crisis'

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday that a state law requiring visitors to prove their age before accessing content on certain adult-oriented websites is tailored in the most "modest" way possible to address a "public health crisis."

  • November 15, 2024

    Texas Judge Won't Halt CFPB Small-Biz Rule As Banks Appeal

    A Texas federal judge has declined to stay the compliance date of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's small-business lending data collection rule while a coalition of bank trade groups appeals his decision to uphold the rule's data collection requirements, saying no circumstances justify such "extraordinary relief."

  • November 15, 2024

    Cable Biz Group Doubts FCC Legal Authority On Data Caps

    Independent cable providers want the Federal Communications Commission to scrap its potential clamp down on data usage limits in broadband service plans, claiming the agency lacks legal authority to move ahead.

  • November 15, 2024

    SEC's Top Cop Says Election Hasn't Slowed Enforcers Down

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement attorneys continue to work with "urgency" in the waning months of the Biden administration, the acting leader of the enforcement division said Friday at an event where he also spoke about a shuttered task force and the agency's approach to pursuing cases involving cybersecurity breaches.

  • November 15, 2024

    Hot Topic Shoppers' Info Stolen By 'Satanic' Hacker, Suit Says

    Hot Topic and its retail affiliates were hit with a proposed class action Wednesday in California federal court alleging an unknown hacker with the username "Satanic" infiltrated their databases containing personal information belonging to 350 million customers and offered to sell the information on an internet forum last month.

  • November 15, 2024

    FCC Passes New Satellite Spectrum Sharing Rules

    The Federal Communications Commission on Friday released new rules covering the sharing of spectrum by non-geostationary orbit fixed satellites that commissioners say will encourage industry growth but also protect existing systems.

  • November 15, 2024

    Pennsylvania AG Can't Stop Glass Plant From Moving To Ohio

    A Pennsylvania federal judge denied the Keystone State attorney general's bid to stop a private equity firm from shutting down a Pyrex plant it purchased and moving its operations to Ohio, ruling that "there is simply insufficient evidence presented" to show that the move will be anticompetitive.

  • November 15, 2024

    Monsanto Cleared In Philly's 7th Roundup Trial

    A Philadelphia jury on Friday cleared Bayer AG unit Monsanto of liability in a woman's lawsuit alleging she developed cancer by using the weedkiller Roundup, delivering the agrochemical giant its third victory in the city's mass tort.

Expert Analysis

  • Earned Wage Access Laws Form A Prickly Policy Patchwork

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    Conflicting earned wage access laws across the country, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently issued rule, mean providers must adopt a proactive compliance approach and adjust business models where needed, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • What FDIC Expansion Of Change In Bank Control Could Mean

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    A recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. proposal pertaining to the Change in Bank Control Act has the potential to create uncertainty around investments by mutual fund complexes in banking organizations, which represent a stable source of capital for the banking industry, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • HSR Amendments Intensify Merger Filing Burdens, Data Risk

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    The antitrust agencies' long-awaited changes to premerger notification rules under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act stand to significantly increase the time and cost involved in preparing an initial HSR notification, and will require more proactive attention to data issues, says Andrew Szwez at FTI Technology.

  • Deadline Extension Highlights PFAS Reporting Complexities

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent extension of reporting and recordkeeping timelines for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act offers relief to the regulated community, but the unprecedented volume of data required means that businesses must remain diligent in their data collection efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • 6th Circ. Preemption Ruling Adds Uncertainty For Car Cos.

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    Automakers and their suppliers need uniformity under the law to create sufficient scale and viable markets — but the Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Fenner v. General Motors creates more uncertainty around the question of when state law consumer claims related to violations of federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards are preempted, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • How Biden Admin Has Used Antitrust Tools, And What's Next

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    The last four years have been marked by an aggressive whole-of-government approach to antitrust enforcement using a broad range of tools, and may result in lasting change regardless of the upcoming presidential election result, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Cos. Face Increasing Risk From Environmental Citizen Suits

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    Environmental citizen suits stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum concerning consumer goods waste may soon become more common, and the evolving procedural landscape and changes to environmental law may contribute to companies' increased exposure, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How BIS' Rule Seeks To Encourage More Voluntary Disclosure

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    Updated incentives, penalties and enforcement resources in the Bureau of Industry and Security's recently published final rule revising the Export Administration Regulations should help companies decide how to implement export control compliance programs and whether to disclose possible violations, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • Navigating Complex Regulatory Terrain Amid State AG Races

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    This year's 10 attorney general elections could usher in a wave of new enforcement priorities and regulatory uncertainty, but companies can stay ahead of the shifts by building strong relationships with AG offices, participating in industry coalitions and more, say Ketan Bhirud and Dustin McDaniel at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Challenge To Ill. Card Fee Law Explores Compliance Hurdles

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    A recent federal lawsuit challenging an Illinois law that will soon forbid electronic payment networks from charging fees for processing the tax and tip portions of card transactions, fleshes out the glaring compliance challenges and exposure risks financial institutions must be ready to face next summer, says Martin Kiernan at Amundsen Davis.

  • Recent Securities Cases Highlight Risks In AI Disclosures

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    Increasing public disclosure about the use and risks of artificial intelligence, and related litigation asserting that such disclosures are false or misleading, suggest that issuers need to exercise great care with respect to how they describe the benefits of AI, say Richard Zelichov and Danny Tobey at DLA Piper.

  • Harris Unlikely To Shelve Biden Admin's Food Antitrust Stance

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    A look at Vice President Kamala Harris' past record, including her actions as California attorney general, shows why practitioners should prepare for continued aggressive antitrust enforcement, particularly in the food and grocery industries, if Harris wins the presidential election, says Steve Vieux at Bartko.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

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    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

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