Consumer Protection

  • August 19, 2024

    Kroger Flips Script, Challenges FTC's Constitutionality

    Kroger went on the offensive Monday, a week before Oregon federal court proceedings kick off in the Federal Trade Commission's challenge to its purchase of Albertsons, in a lawsuit going after the constitutionality of the agency's in-house court, also set to contest the merger.

  • August 19, 2024

    Justices Urged To Refuse Rent-To-Own Co. Fee Suit

    Two consumers suing a rent-to-own furniture store over fees that are allegedly barred under California law urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday not to review a Ninth Circuit decision nixing the company's arbitration bid, arguing that the case is too fact-specific to warrant the court's attention.

  • August 19, 2024

    9th Circ. Partially Revives State Farm Car Value Class Action

    A split Ninth Circuit panel partially revived a class action accusing State Farm of undervaluing policyholders' totaled vehicles when paying out claims, saying Monday that a Washington federal court abused its discretion in decertifying one of two classes based on a previous Ninth Circuit ruling.

  • August 19, 2024

    FCC Yanks Phone Co.'s Authorization After Getting No Answer

    The Federal Communications Commission says a telecom is no longer allowed to operate in the United States after it failed to live up to the commitments it made to the federal government and then ghosted the agency when it tried to get in touch.

  • August 19, 2024

    BankRI Pans 'Overspending' Customer's Account Fees Suit

    One of Rhode Island's largest banks asked a Providence federal judge on Monday to throw out a proposed class action over its consumer fee practices, saying the customer behind the suit is attempting to blame it for fallout from her own "unfortunate practice of overspending."

  • August 19, 2024

    MOVEit MDL Judge's Call For Order Met With Atty Squabbles

    A federal judge's effort to streamline multidistrict litigation over a 2023 data breach involving Progress Software's MOVEit file transfer tool instead led to a lengthy and contentious joint filing in which the parties accused one another of gamesmanship.

  • August 19, 2024

    Feds Trim Sentencing Request For Atty In Email Fraud Case

    Massachusetts federal prosecutors have shaved 11 months off of a nine-year sentencing request for an Illinois attorney who was convicted of collecting proceeds from an email fraud scheme, after the First Circuit vacated three of the lawyer's six counts on venue grounds.

  • August 19, 2024

    Conn. Agencies Defend Rebuff Of Utility's $131M Rate Increase

    Three Connecticut agencies, including its utility rate watchdog, have defended the state's rejection of United Illuminating Co.'s proposed three-year rate increase of $131 million, saying in Connecticut state court that regulators properly trimmed the company's request to $23 million in its first year from its $90 million request.

  • August 19, 2024

    FCC Partly Grants Globalstar Bid For 26 New Satellites

    The Federal Communications Commission has partly granted Globalstar's application for more than two dozen new satellites, allowing 17 to launch for now but deferring action on the rest until a debris reduction plan is approved.

  • August 19, 2024

    Groups Urge EPA To Ban Dispersants Used In Deepwater Spill

    Two advocacy groups on Monday petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to immediately stop using two chemical dispersants that were used after the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster and that they say cause a variety of health problems including cancer.

  • August 19, 2024

    Aramark Gets Green Light For Solo Turkey Antitrust Case

    An Illinois federal judge has refused to dismiss Aramark's individual antitrust lawsuit alleging that turkey producers exchanged competitively sensitive information, rejecting arguments that the claims were untimely because the statute of limitations was tolled by the filing of a similar class action in 2019.

  • August 19, 2024

    Crypto Owners Sue Binance Over Allegedly Lax Theft Controls

    Three cryptocurrency owners claimed Friday that Binance and founder Changpeng Zhao enabled hackers and thieves to use the exchange to launder millions of dollars stolen from their accounts, activity they say hasn't stopped after the company's blockbluster guilty plea. 

  • August 19, 2024

    Harris' Plan To 'Ban' Price-Gouging Met With Pushback

    Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has unveiled a proposal to crack down on high grocery prices, stating as part of her economic agenda that she would implement a first-ever federal ban on price-gouging — yet market participants aren't so sure that's the right approach. 

  • August 19, 2024

    Net Neutrality Akin To Federal Law Rewrite, 6th Circ. Told

    A pair of think tanks told the Sixth Circuit it should reject the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules in part because the agency's decision to hold back its legal authority in some areas, like rate regulation, shows why the regime lacks statutory authority in the first place.

  • August 19, 2024

    Even Kids Use 'Unfair' Like CFPB Policy Does, 5th Circ. Told

    Scholars from top law schools urged the Fifth Circuit to reverse a Texas federal court's decision to strike a policy expanding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's antidiscrimination oversight capabilities, arguing that even "schoolchildren" could agree with the agency's legal position.

  • August 19, 2024

    Second Pharmacist To Avoid Meningitis Murder Trial

    A pharmacist charged with murder in a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak that killed dozens of people is expected to plead no contest to involuntary manslaughter charges this week, averting a Michigan trial that had been set for November.

  • August 19, 2024

    DOJ Waited Too Long On Chats Deletions, Google Says

    Google urged a Virginia federal judge Friday to reject the Justice Department's request to sanction the search giant over a policy of deleting internal chats, arguing that the request came too late and that the government isn't missing any evidence for its advertising technology monopolization suit.

  • August 19, 2024

    Pennsylvania Litigation Highlights Of 2024: A Midyear Report

    Pennsylvania courts have been the scene of several explosive cases in the first half of 2024, including one that produced an astronomical $2.25 billion verdict against Bayer AG unit Monsanto in the Roundup mass tort unfolding in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.

  • August 19, 2024

    Calif. Lawmakers Decline To Advance Hemp THC Law

    A California bill that would have imposed new THC limits on hemp consumables is unlikely to become law this year, after lawmakers declined to move it out of committee.

  • August 19, 2024

    Crypto Co. Consensys Says Texas Is Right For SEC Fight

    Crypto software firm Consensys Software Inc. told a Texas federal judge that it beat the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to court when it filed a suit seeking a judgment that its MetaMask software does not offend securities laws, and the regulator cannot now "change the playing field" to New York with its later enforcement suit.

  • August 19, 2024

    Philip Morris Urges Fla. Court To Toss Zyn Injury Lawsuits

    Philip Morris urged a Florida federal court on Monday to dismiss two lawsuits alleging ongoing injuries caused by addictions to Zyn nicotine pouches, arguing it had nothing to do with the claims prior to a 2022 acquisition and that it has no business ties to the Sunshine State.

  • August 19, 2024

    H&R Block's Case On In-House Judges' Role Is Paused

    A Missouri federal judge who refused to halt Federal Trade Commission proceedings accusing H&R Block of deceptive advertising agreed to pause, while the company appeals her refusal, a district court case in which the company has argued that administrative judges should be booted from the proceedings.

  • August 19, 2024

    FTC Says Albertsons Execs Deleted Texts About Merger

    The Federal Trade Commission accused executives from Albertsons of deleting text messages about the supermarket chain's planned megamerger with Kroger, saying the messages likely contained valuable internal views about the effects of the $25 billion deal.

  • August 16, 2024

    TikTok Nonusers Fight Uphill For 100M-Member Privacy Class

    A California federal judge on Friday tentatively declined to certify a class of over 100 million nonusers of TikTok over allegations it illegally scraped their personal data from third-party websites, noting the "extraordinary" class size and questioning whether the plaintiffs have shown their injuries are typical of the proposed class.

  • August 16, 2024

    Crypto Promoter Gets OK To Appeal Securities Ruling At 5th Circ.

    A Texas federal judge on Friday granted a cryptocurrency influencer's bid to immediately appeal an adverse ruling that his promotion of so-called SPRK tokens had sufficient ties to the U.S. since the question of whether his alleged activity is beyond the reach of federal securities regulators could resolve the suit.

Expert Analysis

  • Arbitration Implications Of High Court Coinbase Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Coinbase v. Suski ruling not only reaffirmed the long-standing principle that arbitration is a matter of contract, but also established new and more general principles concerning the courts' jurisdiction to decide challenges to delegation clauses and the severability rule, say Tamar Meshel at the University of Alberta.

  • Prejudicial Evidence Takeaways From Trump Hush Money Trial

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    The Manhattan District Attorney's Office's prosecution and conviction of former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts provides a lesson on whether evidence may cause substantial unfair prejudice, or if its prejudicial potential is perfectly fair within the bounds of the law, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Making Plans For BNPL Consumer Protection Compliance

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    With an interpretive rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau set to require buy-now, pay-later providers to implement credit card-like consumer safeguards by the end of July, loan providers must solidify their federally compliant customer dispute resolution and disclosure procedures before the newly emboldened bureau's deadline, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • New Laws, Regs Mean More Scrutiny Of Airline Carbon Claims

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    Recent climate disclosure laws and regulations in the U.S. and Europe mean that scrutiny of airlines' green claims will likely continue to intensify — so carriers must make sure their efforts to reduce carbon emissions through use of sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen and carbon offsets measure up to their marketing, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • How Uyghur Forced Labor Law Affects Importing Companies

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    Amid a growing focus on forced labor in supply chains and a likely increase in enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, companies may face costly import delays unless they develop and implement compliance best practices, say Thad McBride and Lauren Gammer at Bass Berry.

  • What Companies Should Consider Amid Multistate AG Actions

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    The rise of multistate attorney general actions is characterized by increased collaboration and heightened scrutiny across various industries — including Big Tech and gaming — and though coalitions present challenges for targeted companies, they also offer opportunities for streamlined resolutions and coordinated public relations efforts, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • 3 Surprising Deposition Dangers Attorneys Must Heed

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    Attorneys often do not think of discovery as a particularly risky phase of litigation, but counsel must closely heed some surprisingly strict and frequently overlooked requirements before, during and after depositions that can lead to draconian consequences, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • Careful Data Governance Is A Must Amid Enforcement Focus

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    Federal and state regulators' heightened focus on privacy enforcement, including the Federal Trade Commission's recent guidance on consumer protection in the car industry, highlight the importance of proactive risk management, compliance and data governance, say Jason Priebe and Danny Riley at Seyfarth.

  • 5 Critical Factors Driving Settlement Values In Cyber Litigation

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    Recent ransomware incidents and their legal repercussions offer five valuable insights into the determinants of settlement values in cyberattack-related litigation, and understanding these trends and their implications can better prepare organizations for the potential legal fallout from future breaches, says Peter Kamminga at JAMS.

  • Opinion

    Paid Noncompetes Offer A Better Solution Than FTC's Ban

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    A better alternative to the Federal Trade Commission's recent and widely contested noncompete ban would be a nationwide bright-line rule requiring employers to pay employees during the noncompete period, says Steven Kayman at Rottenberg Lipman.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

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