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Consumer Protection
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August 12, 2024
The Biggest Telecom Developments Of 2024: Midyear Report
The first half of 2024 saw sweeping change in the telecom sphere as the Federal Communications Commission's Democratic majority pushed through controversial net neutrality rules and confronted challenges on artificial intelligence, national security and more, but also faces the prospect of new headwinds as the nation's top court pared back powers of federal agencies.
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August 12, 2024
US Falls Short In Protecting Undersea Cables, Cruz Says
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is hopping mad that the U.S. Maritime Administration has not requested any funds for its undersea cable security fleet but included requests for diversity and climate change initiatives in its proposed budget, which the Texas senator decries as "woke nonsense."
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August 12, 2024
Ease Letter Of Credit Rules For Tribal Broadband, FCC Urged
Tribal telecom carriers have called on the Federal Communications Commission to ease or eliminate bank credit restrictions for tribes bidding on federally funded broadband deployment projects, pointing to unique challenges they face in securing the required letters of credit.
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August 12, 2024
Markel Says No Coverage For Film-Financing Scheme Claims
A Markel unit said it has no duty to defend or indemnify a wealth manager or his companies against underlying claims that they misled investors into financing various film projects, telling an Illinois federal court that their policy bars coverage for claims arising out of the sale of securities.
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August 12, 2024
Lending Co. Best Egg Can Arbitrate Interest Rate Dispute
Online lender Best Egg can force arbitration of a proposed class action claiming it charged borrowers unlawfully high interest rates, with a Pennsylvania federal judge ruling an online checkbox is enough to indicate borrowers' consent to arbitrate.
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August 12, 2024
Paragard IUD Makers Gearing Up For Defect Dismissal Bid
Teva Pharmaceuticals and The Cooper Cos. have five days to reach out to plaintiffs who may be included in a motion to dismiss the sprawling litigation over alleged defects in the Paragard IUD, a Georgia federal judge said Monday.
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August 12, 2024
SEC Accuses Crypto Co., Execs, Promoters Of $650M Fraud
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday sued crypto trading firm Nova Tech Ltd., its founders and promoters in Florida federal court for their roles in an alleged $650 million fraud and pyramid scheme that targeted many in the Haitian American community.
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August 12, 2024
Microplastics False Ad Complaint 'Doesn't Hold Water'
An Illinois federal judge has thrown out a proposed class action alleging that BlueTriton Brands Inc. doesn't tell consumers that its Ice Mountain spring water contains microplastics, saying no reasonable consumer would believe "100% natural spring water" is a guarantee down to the molecular level.
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August 12, 2024
TikTok Hit With Another Children's Privacy Breach Suit
A group of parents has filed a proposed class action against TikTok and its parent company in California federal court alleging invasion of privacy and unfair business practices targeting millions of children under age 13 across the United States.
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August 12, 2024
States Oppose Shkreli High Court Bid For $64M Disgorgement
State enforcers are opposing a petition from ex-pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a disgorgement order requiring him to pay up to $64 million for an alleged scheme to increase the price of a life-saving drug by 4,000%
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August 12, 2024
Cannabis Drink Cos. Drop Challenge To Iowa THC Law
After failing to temporarily block an Iowa law that imposed new restrictions on hemp-derived THC consumables, two manufactures of cannabis-infused drinks have decided to drop their lawsuit seeking to upend the statute, according to a notice filed in federal court.
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August 12, 2024
DC Circ. Revives Businessman's Suit Over Mueller Report
A Georgian-American businessman discussed in special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election can pursue claims that inaccuracies in the report harmed his reputation and business dealings, the D.C. Circuit said Friday.
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August 12, 2024
Ally Bank Latest Auto Lender To Challenge Mass. Towing Law
Ally Bank has told a Massachusetts federal judge that a towing company should be on the hook for the value of a Lexus it sold despite the bank's lien, marking the latest challenge to what the lender calls an "outdated and unconstitutional" state law.
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August 12, 2024
Big Tobacco To Pay $600M In 'Historic' Mass. Deal
Philip Morris Inc. and RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. will pay nine-figure sums as part of a $600 million settlement between Massachusetts and major tobacco companies that resolves yearslong disputes about how much the cigarette makers owe, the state attorney general announced Monday.
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August 09, 2024
Ex-Twitter Board Member Says X Owes Him $23M From Stock
A former member of Twitter's board of directors who helped oversee the sale of the social media company to Elon Musk in 2022 claimed X Corp. owes him more than $23 million worth of vested and unvested shares, according to a lawsuit filed in California state court.
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August 09, 2024
Google Beats Users' Challenge To Apple Pact, For Now
A California federal judge on Friday dismissed, for now, consumers' suit alleging that Google made an illegal pact with Apple to serve as the iPhone's default search engine, a decision that comes days after a D.C. federal court held that Google is a monopolist in a separate antitrust case.
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August 09, 2024
Ripple Claims Victory In SEC Suit But Paid A Price
Ripple Labs Inc. celebrated the end of its legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a "clear victory" that cut through the regulator's bid for $2 billion over the exchange's unregistered institutional sales of its XRP token, but experts told Law360 the $125 million fine and injunction Ripple faces is much more than a speeding ticket to end a costly four-year battle.
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August 09, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Affirms Ax Of Meta Anti-Vax Censorship Suit
A split Ninth Circuit panel Friday affirmed the dismissal of Children's Health Defense's lawsuit challenging Meta's policy of censoring its anti-vaccine Facebook posts, with the majority concluding that the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-founded nonprofit failed to show Meta was acting on the government's behalf to state viable constitutional claims.
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August 09, 2024
X Halts Training AI On EU Users' Posts After Irish Backlash
X Corp., formerly known as Twitter, has agreed to suspend its efforts to train its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok on personal data lifted from public posts made by its users in the European Union, on the heels of Ireland's data protection commission making an urgent appeal to an Irish court to shut down the practice.
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August 09, 2024
Gemini Seeks Quick 2nd Circ. Appeal In CFTC Fight
Gemini Trust Co. has asked a New York federal judge for permission to quickly appeal to the Second Circuit a June ruling denying the Winklevoss-led crypto exchange a win in the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's lawsuit alleging Gemini illegally downplayed known risks of its proposed bitcoin futures contract.
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August 09, 2024
Lowe's Arbitration Clause For Online Buyers Found 'Illusory'
Lowe's Home Centers LLP must go to court to face a proposed class action accusing the store of deceptively slipping unneeded items into shoppers' online carts, a Virginia federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting the home improvement giant's bid for arbitration.
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August 09, 2024
Conn. AG Knocks Altice's Bid To Rewrite Consumer Fee Case
The state of Connecticut says it should not be forced to redraft a lawsuit accusing Altice USA of improperly charging consumers a $6 "network enhancement fee" and pushing misleading internet speed advertisements, saying the telecommunications provider has gone so far as to seek "clarification" of "commonly understood words of phrases."
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August 09, 2024
Wash. Hospital Patients Can't Certify 'Fail Safe' Classes
A Washington federal judge on Friday rejected a certification attempt in a proposed class action accusing a hospital system of incentivizing two of its doctors to perform medically unnecessary surgeries, but said the plaintiffs would have the chance to address the litany of defects by amending their suit.
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August 09, 2024
Royal Match Game App Fosters Gambling Addiction, Suit Says
A Washington state woman has filed a proposed class action against a Turkish developer, saying it violates state gambling laws with its allegedly addictive Royal Match mobile game that requires players to purchase virtual gold coins for continuous play.
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August 09, 2024
Rugby League's US Subscribers Say Private Info Was Stolen
The international streaming service for Australian professional rugby disclosed personal information to Meta and other parties without the subscribers' knowledge or consent, according to a proposed class action from subscribers filed on Friday in California federal court.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.
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Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State
Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.
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Series
After Chevron: Impact On CFPB May Be Limited
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo is likely to have a limited impact on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's regulatory activities, and for those who value due process, consistency and predictability in consumer financial services regulation, this may be a good thing, says John Coleman at Orrick.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Synapse Bankruptcy Has Ripple Effects For Fintech Industry
Synapse Financial Technologies’ recent bankruptcy filing marks a significant moment in the fintech industry's evolution, highlighting that stringent compliance and risk management in fintech partnerships are essential to mitigate risk and protect consumers, say Joann Needleman and Ryan Blumberg at Clark Hill.
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Opinion
Discount Window Reform Needed To Curb Modern Bank Runs
We learned during the spring 2023 failures that bank runs can happen extraordinarily fast in light of modern technology, especially when banks have a greater concentration of large deposits, demonstrating that the antiquated but effective discount window needs to be overhauled before the next crisis, says Cris Cicala at Stinson.
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Mitigating Risks Amid 10-Year Sanctions Enforcement Window
In response to recent legislation, which doubles the statute of limitations for actions related to certain U.S. sanctions and provides regulators greater opportunity to investigate possible violations, companies should take specific steps to account for the increased civil and criminal enforcement risk, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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Series
In The CFPB Playbook: Making Good On Bold Promises
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding structure in the second quarter cleared the way for the bureau to resume a number of high-priority initiatives, and it appears poised to charge ahead in working toward its aggressive preelection agenda, say Andrew Arculin and Paula Vigo Marqués at Blank Rome.
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Series
After Chevron: Creating New Hurdles For ESG Rulemaking
The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision, limiting court deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, could have significant impacts on the future of ESG regulation, creating new hurdles for agency rulemaking around these emerging issues, and calling into question current administrative actions, says Leah Malone at Simpson Thacher.
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California Adds A Novel Twist To State Suits Against Big Oil
California’s suit against Exxon Mobil Corp., one of several state suits that seek to hold oil and gas companies accountable for climate-related harms, is unique both in the magnitude of the alleged claims and its use of a consumer protection statute to seek disgorgement of industry profits, says Julia Stein at UCLA School of Law.
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Opinion
States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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How Attorneys Can Reduce Bad Behavior At Deposition
To minimize unprofessional behavior by opposing counsel and witnesses, and take charge of the room at deposition, attorneys should lay out some key ground rules at the outset — and be sure to model good behavior themselves, says John Farrell at Fish & Richardson.
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Best Text Practices In Light Of Terraform's $4.5B Fraud Deal
Text messages were extremely important in a recent civil trial against Terraform Labs, leading to a $4.5 billion settlement, so litigants in securities fraud cases need to have robust mobile data policies that address the content and retention of messages, and the obligations of employees to allow for collection, say Josh Sohn and Alicia Clausen at Crowell & Moring.
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Series
Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.
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CFPB's New Registration Rule Will Intensify Nonbank Scrutiny
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently finalized nonbank registration rule aimed at cracking down on repeat offenders poses significant compliance challenges and enforcement risks for nonbank financial firms, and may be particularly onerous for smaller firms, say Ketan Bhirud and Emily Yu at Cozen O'Connor.