Consumer Protection

  • October 24, 2024

    Mass. Justices Reject Meta, Google 'Wiretap' Claims

    Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday found that website operators' use of tracking software like Meta Pixel and Google Analytics does not violate the state's wiretap law, drawing a sharp dissent from one justice who said the legislature will now need to "correct" the court's mistake.

  • October 23, 2024

    Conn. Judge Rejects Utility's Defenses In Site Cleanup Battle

    An Avangrid Inc. unit hasn't sufficiently rebutted the Connecticut government's claims that it's taking too long to clean up the long-defunct English Station power plant site in New Haven under a partial consent order, a state court judge has ruled.

  • October 23, 2024

    Kroger Implies Wash. AG Opposes Merger To Aid Gov. Run

    The Kroger Co. on Wednesday slammed Washington state's lawsuit targeting its proposed $24.6 billion merger with Albertsons during closing arguments, telling the trial judge that it needlessly duplicates the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust case and suggesting that the state's attorney general was out to boost his campaign for governor.

  • October 23, 2024

    Co. Misleads Claimants About Visa Mastercard MDL, Attys Say

    Class counsel for plaintiffs in long-running multidistrict litigation accusing Visa and Mastercard of charging improper merchant fees asked a New York federal judge to demand explanations from a third-party company over misleading statements it allegedly made regarding the claims-submission process for recovering settlement payments.

  • October 23, 2024

    SEC Says Kraken Can't Get Quick Appeal Of Dismissal Denial

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said cryptocurrency exchange Kraken shouldn't get a quick review of its failed bid to dismiss the regulator's registration suit because the firm's "reinterpretation" of how securities laws apply to digital assets has been broadly rejected by district courts.

  • October 23, 2024

    Common Ownership Dooms Bids For 9 Low-Power Stations

    The Federal Communications Commission said it is not approving nine applications for new low-power FM stations because the entities that applied for them appear to actually all be part of the same organization, which violates the agency's rules on owning multiple stations.

  • October 23, 2024

    CFPB's Chopra Touts Open Banking Rule After Industry Rips It

    Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra on Wednesday promoted his agency's new open banking rule to a fintech audience amid stiff opposition from banks, saying "incumbents" can't be allowed to box out the competition that expanded financial data-sharing will enable.

  • October 23, 2024

    CFPB, Chicago-Area Lender Say Redlining Suit Deal Is 'Likely'

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a Chicago-area mortgage lender have said in a filing that they could be close to settling claims that the lender illegally disparaged majority-Black neighborhoods.

  • October 23, 2024

    Stop & Shop Parent Co. Sued Over Orange Soda Ingredient

    The parent company of grocery stores Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Hannaford and others was hit with a proposed class action Tuesday in North Carolina federal court alleging that the company's orange soda contained an oil additive that allegedly can cause neurological damage.

  • October 23, 2024

    Firms Ask DC Court To Nix 'Retaliatory' Canadian Arbitrations

    Two plaintiffs' law firms are urging a D.C. federal court to bar the operators of two allegedly illegal online casinos from pursuing "retaliatory" arbitrations in Canada against their clients, arguing they're trying to bully clients into submitting to a non-U.S. friendly arbitral institution.

  • October 23, 2024

    Advocacy Group Denies Political Bent In Fox Philly Fight

    An advocacy group is coming out swinging against claims its attempts to strip a Philadelphia Fox television station of its license for peddling conspiracy theories about the 2020 election is partisan, telling the FCC that its petition is about the station's deliberate choice "to lie to the American people."

  • October 23, 2024

    Late Smoker's Spouse Can Argue Survivor's Benefits At Retrial

    The husband of a deceased smoker whose $157 million win against tobacco companies was erased can claim surviving spouse damages under Florida's Wrongful Death Act on retrial even though he was not married to his partner at the time he was diagnosed with lung disease, according to an opinion released Wednesday by a Florida appeals court.

  • October 23, 2024

    Conn. Dispensary Can't Fight $500K Fee, State Agency Says

    Connecticut's consumer protection agency is urging a superior court to trash a suit accusing state officials of causing a marijuana dispensary to miss a deadline and costing it half a million dollars, arguing that the state law doesn't give the court the authority to second-guess the state-issued bill.

  • October 23, 2024

    Wash. Health System Says HHS Let J&J 'Abuse' 340B Program

    A Washington safety net provider claims in a new suit that the federal government let Johnson & Johnson abuse the 340B drug discount program by allowing the manufacturer to pursue an "overbroad" and "intrusive" audit of the provider's drug purchases.

  • October 23, 2024

    DOJ Bolsters Defense In Pork Price-Fixing Case, Cos. Say

    Hormel, Tyson, JBS and other pork producers told a Minnesota federal court that a Justice Department intervention into a private price-fixing litigation actually backs their defense, even though the government took no position on the merits of the case.

  • October 23, 2024

    Dallas Judge Denies Nightclub's TRO, Citing 'Gamesmanship'

    An attorney who owns a Dallas nightclub shouldn't have waited until 6 a.m. Wednesday to alert the city attorney's office about a hearing in the club's effort to stall the city council's vote on zoning approval, a state judge said during the hearing, calling it "gamesmanship."

  • October 23, 2024

    Fla. College Savings Plan Wasn't Impaired By Fee, Court Told

    A Florida agency that administers the state's prepaid college savings program urged a federal judge Wednesday to toss a proposed class action brought by parents alleging their promised benefits were deprived with an additional fee, arguing that they fail to state a cause of action.

  • October 23, 2024

    Amazon Must Face Drivers' Tip Suit Despite FTC Settlement

    A Washington federal judge largely refused Wednesday to toss a proposed class action accusing Amazon of violating Evergreen State laws by withholding portions of drivers' tips, saying the claims are still valid despite the Federal Trade Commission reaching a nearly $62 million deal with the company over the same alleged conduct.

  • October 23, 2024

    Telecom Group Sues To Cancel FTC's 'Click To Cancel' Rule

    A major cable and internet industry group and others sued the Federal Trade Commission Wednesday over its new "click to cancel" rule, asking the Fifth Circuit to vacate the regulation one week after it was adopted in a 3-2 commission vote.

  • October 23, 2024

    FCC To Probe Broadband, Cable And Phone Customer Service

    The Federal Communications Commission is looking to find out how well the broadband, video distribution and phone industries are doing when it comes to customer service.

  • October 23, 2024

    Pool Seller Gets Claims Trimmed In Child Drowning Suit

    A Missouri federal judge has thrown out the bulk of a couple's claims against pool seller Bestway (USA) Inc. over the drowning death of their daughter, dismissing negligence and warranty claims while allowing strict liability claims to go forward.

  • October 23, 2024

    SoClean Says Philips Can't Stand In For Damaged CPAP Users

    SoClean Inc. asked a Pennsylvania federal court to toss Philips RS North America's proposed class-action claims from a multidistrict litigation, arguing that after settling with customers who had to replace their CPAP and BiPAP breathing machines, Philips was really only coming after SoClean on its own behalf.

  • October 23, 2024

    American Airlines Fined $50 Million For Disability Violations

    American Airlines received a $50 million penalty from the U.S. Department of Transportation Wednesday for "serious violations" of disability laws protecting people in wheelchairs, with the department saying the violations included injuring or mishandling disabled travelers, damaging their wheelchairs or failing to return the devices promptly.

  • October 23, 2024

    Securities Claim Cut From Fraud Suit Against Calif. Developer

    A California federal judge trimmed a securities claim from a Sonoma resident's suit against a real estate company embroiled in a fraud scandal and recommended that the rest of the claims be brought in state court.

  • October 23, 2024

    Roundup Suit Pared As Preemption Claim Sways Mass. Judge

    A Massachusetts judge has dismissed portions of a suit claiming a woman's use of the weedkiller Roundup caused her cancer, ruling a federal labeling law preempts her theory that Monsanto failed to warn consumers about the chemical's dangers.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Data Breach Reporting Requirements Must Change In AI Age

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    Outdated data breach reporting laws are inadequate to protect consumers in the age of artificial intelligence, as AI’s ability to determine relationships coupled with its improvements to deepfake technology mean that the very definitions used in breach reporting laws are no longer sufficient, says Collin Walke at Hall Estill.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • What To Know As Children's Privacy Law Rapidly Evolves

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    If your business hasn't been paying attention to growing state and federal efforts to protect children online, now is the time to start — there is no sign of this regulation slowing down, and more aggressive enforcement actions are to be expected in the coming year, says Susan Rohol at Willkie Farr.

  • What Cos. Should Know About New Global Plastics Regs

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    As the global regulatory landscape for plastics and recycling changes rapidly — with new policies coming into effect in California, at the federal level, in the European Union and at the United Nations — businesses that operate across jurisdictions must stay informed to remain compliant, mitigate legal risk and achieve stewardship goals, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

  • Dissecting Treasury's Call For Input On AI In Financial Sector

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    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's request for comments on the potential benefits and challenges AI may pose to the financial services sector, which asks how stakeholders are addressing and mitigating increased fraud risks, reflects the federal government's continued interest in AI's effects across the economy, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Opinion

    The FTC Needs To Challenge The Novo-Catalent Deal

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    Novo's acquisition of Catalent threatens to substantially lessen competition in the manufacturing and marketing of GLP-1 diabetes and obesity drugs, and the Federal Trade Commission should challenge it under a vertical theory of harm, as it aligns with last year's merger guidelines and the Fifth Circuit decision in Illumina, says attorney David Balto.

  • Md. Deal Highlights Consumer Finance Program Regulations

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    Maryland regulators’ recent settlement with the Bank of Missouri and its consumer lending partners, Atlanticus and Fortiva, offers a reminder that it is important to properly structure such partnerships and conduct sufficient due diligence on state licensing requirements, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 3 Areas Of Enforcement Risk Facing The EV Industry

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    Companies in the EV manufacturing ecosystem are experiencing a boom in business, but with this boom comes increased regulatory and enforcement risks, from the corruption issues that have historically pervaded the extractive sector to newer risks posed by artificial intelligence, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Nat'l Security Considerations For Telecom Products Counsel

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    An increase in federal national security measures in the telecommunications space, particularly from the Federal Communications Commission, means that products counsel need to broaden their considerations as they advise on new products and services, says Laura Stefani at Venable.

  • Chevron's End Puts Target On CFPB's Aggressive BNPL Rule

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    A recent interpretative rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, subjecting buy-now, pay-later loans to the same regulations as credit cards, is unlikely to survive post-Chevron challenges of the rule's partisan and shaky logic, say Scott Pearson and Bryan Schneider at Manatt.

  • Boeing Plea Deal Is A Mixed Bag, Providing Lessons For Cos.

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    The plea deal for conspiracy to defraud regulators that Boeing has tentatively agreed to will, on the one hand, probably help the company avoid further reputational damage, but also demonstrates to companies that deferred prosecution agreements have real teeth, and that noncompliance with DPA terms can be costly, says Edmund Vickers at Red Lion Chambers.

  • Unpacking The Increasingly Popular Fair Credit Billing Act

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    The Fair Credit Billing Act is receiving increased attention from regulators and consumers disputing credit card charges, so creditors should understand its procedural requirements — including the law's focus on the mechanics of a dispute and its potential to create civil liability, say David Gettings and Courtney Hitchcock at Troutman Pepper.

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