Consumer Protection

  • October 04, 2024

    Mondelez, BCLP Ink $750K Deal To End Data Breach Suits

    Mondelez Global LLC workers on Friday asked an Illinois federal judge to greenlight a $750,000 settlement that would resolve proposed data privacy class actions against their employer and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP stemming from a 2023 data breach.

  • October 04, 2024

    Pa. Noncompete Ban Challenger Drops Case After Stay Denied

    A Pennsylvania tree service company Friday relinquished its lawsuit challenging the Federal Trade Commission's recent ban on noncompete agreements after a federal judge in the Keystone State denied the company's bid to pause its case despite another judge blocking the ban.

  • October 04, 2024

    EU High Court Says Meta Must Limit Data Used To Target Ads

    The European Court of Justice ruled Friday that the bloc's data protection rules prohibit Meta's Facebook and other social media platforms from using all the personal data they've ever collected to fuel their targeted advertising, handing Austrian activist Max Schrems a win in his latest fight against the tech giant.

  • October 04, 2024

    JPML Agrees To Combine Snowflake, AT&T Data Breach MDLs

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Friday centralized a slew of cases stemming from high-profile data breaches affecting customers of the Snowflake Inc. cloud platform in the District of Montana, a transfer order that includes sprawling multidistrict litigation against AT&T, one of Snowflake's customers.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Deploy AI In A Dangerous Threat Landscape

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    Businesses are feeling immense pressure to deploy generative artificial intelligence tools to accelerate profits and demonstrate their technological superiority to investors and consumers, and there are a few steps they can take when using AI tools to mitigate liability risks, say B. Stephanie Siegmann and Julianna Malogolowkin at Hinckley Allen.

  • Addressing The Growing Hazards Of Mass Arbitration

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    Though retail companies typically include arbitration provisions in their terms of service, the recent trend of costly mass arbitrations filed by plaintiffs may cause businesses to rethink this conventional wisdom, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • CFPB's Medical Debt Proposal May Have Side Effects

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s recent proposal to prevent medical debt information from appearing on consumer reports and creditors from basing lending decisions on such information may have initial benefits for some consumers, but there are potential negative consequences that should also be considered, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • Decoding CFPB Priorities Amid Ramp-Up In Nonbank Actions

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    Based on recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement actions and press releases about its supervisory activities, the agency appears poised to continue increasing its scrutiny over nonbank entities — particularly with respect to emerging financial products and services — into next year, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • How 3rd Circ. Raised Bar For Constitutional Case Injunctions

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    The Third Circuit's decision in Delaware State Sportsmen's Association v. Delaware Department of Safety & Homeland Security, rejecting the relaxed preliminary injunction standards many courts have used when plaintiffs allege constitutional harms, could portend a shift in such cases in at least four ways, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • 7th Circ. Ruling Expands CFPB Power In Post-Chevron Era

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    The Seventh Circuit’s recent ruling in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Townstone Financial interprets the Equal Credit Opportunity Act broadly, paving the way for increased CFPB enforcement and hinting at how federal courts may approach statutory interpretation in the post-Chevron world, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • Opinion

    Expert Witness Standards Must Consider Peer Review Crisis

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    For nearly two decades, the so-called replication crisis has upended how the scientific community views the reliability of peer-reviewed studies, and it’s time for courts to reevaluate whether peer review is a trustworthy proxy for expert witness reliability, say Jeffrey Gross and Robert LaCroix at Reid Collins.

  • What's In NYDFS Guidance On Use Of AI In Insurance

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    Matthew Gaul and Shlomo Potesky at Willkie summarize the New York Department of Financial Services' recently adopted circular letter on the use of artificial intelligence in insurance underwriting and pricing, and highlight the material changes made to it in response to comments on the draft circular letter.

  • Drip Pricing Exemption Isn't A Free Pass For Calif. Eateries

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    A new exemption relieves California bars and restaurants from the recently effective law banning prices that don't reflect mandatory fees and charges — but such establishments aren't entirely off the hook for drip pricing, due to uncertainty over disclosure requirements and pending federal junk fee regulations, say Alexandria Ruiz and Amy Lally at Sidley.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • 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.

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