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Consumer Protection
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December 04, 2024
Amazon Held To Prior Fights, Ongoing Rules In Antitrust Row
Amazon.com Inc. can't duck updated consumer antitrust suits because it failed to raise some arguments against prior iterations and because plaintiffs adequately alleged substantial, ongoing anticompetitive conduct and effects from rules punishing sellers who offer their goods cheaper elsewhere, according to a decision unsealed in Washington federal court.
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December 04, 2024
Columbia Univ., Publisher Face Suit Over Reading Program
Columbia University Teachers College and the creators and publishers of two widely used reading instructional programs have ignored concerns about their effectiveness for years, leaving many children functionally illiterate, a proposed class action filed Wednesday in Massachusetts state court alleges.
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December 04, 2024
SEC Taps New Co-Leaders For Crypto Enforcement Unit
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has promoted the assistant director of its crypto and cyber enforcement unit and a counsel to an outgoing Democratic commissioner to co-lead the regulator's crypto enforcement efforts ahead of a coming administration shake-up that could change the agency's approach to the digital asset industry.
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December 04, 2024
Outgoing FCC Chief Lacerates With A Grin At 'Telecom Prom'
Lawyers who gathered for the telecom bar's marquee yearly dinner Tuesday were treated to the traditional night of sardonic wit as the outgoing head of the Federal Communications Commission took aim at the new power structure looming in Washington, D.C.
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December 04, 2024
Wells Fargo Wants Suits Over $300M Scheme Tossed
Wells Fargo Bank NA urged a Florida federal judge on Wednesday to toss both a proposed class action and a receiver's lawsuit claiming the bank aided and abetted a $300 million Ponzi scheme that duped more than 1,000 investors, arguing that neither pleading sufficiently shows that Wells Fargo knew about the fraud.
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December 04, 2024
Amazon, Stanley Tumbler Maker Sue Alleged Counterfeiters
Amazon and the maker of the popular "Stanley" tumbler are suing several marketplace vendors in Washington federal court, accusing them of peddling counterfeit drink ware in the e-commerce platform's latest legal push to crack down on brand-stealing sellers.
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December 04, 2024
Ace Hardware Looks To Nail Screw-Selling Rival Over TM Use
Ace Hardware Corp. said Tuesday that a home improvement chain sharing the Ace name is watering down its decades of name recognition and goodwill while creeping in on Ace's turf and leading confused consumers astray.
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December 04, 2024
Consumers Agree To Throw Out Diaper Genie False Ad Case
A group of consumers who claimed Diaper Genie ads falsely advertised that the products' refill packs contained a year's worth of diapers have dropped their proposed class action in a joint motion filed with brand owners Angelcare and Playtex.
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December 04, 2024
DC AG Says Amazon Covertly Slowed Delivery In 2 ZIP Codes
The District of Columbia attorney general sued Amazon on Wednesday, accusing the e-commerce giant of surreptitiously withholding the high-speed delivery services promised by its Prime membership from certain D.C. neighborhoods.
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December 04, 2024
Colo. Judge Tosses Data Breach Suit Against Hospital Chain
A Colorado federal judge has dismissed a proposed data breach class action against hospital operator CommonSpirit Health, accepting a recommendation that found the lead plaintiff failed to allege any real injuries and therefore had no standing.
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December 04, 2024
FTC Slams IntelliVision's Facial Recognition Bias Claims
The Federal Trade Commission has ordered artificial intelligence facial recognition software maker IntelliVision Technologies to stop misrepresenting that its software was free of racial and gender bias.
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December 04, 2024
Potent Cannabis Oils Violate Ill. Laws, Suits Say
Four proposed classes are suing several cannabis product makers and sellers, alleging that products made with Rick Simpson Oil and other potent types of cannabis oils go far beyond Illinois' and other states' legal limits, and the companies fail to warn customers that they're illegal.
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December 04, 2024
3rd Circ. Preview: BetMGM Addiction Case Tops Dec. Lineup
The Third Circuit is set to determine if BetMGM online casino should face a lawsuit claiming it violated New Jersey consumer protection and gambling laws for allegedly enticing a man with a gambling problem to play its games.
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December 04, 2024
Crypto Groups Hail Trump's SEC Pick Paul Atkins
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission member Paul Atkins to lead the agency next year, a decision that cryptocurrency advocates praised as opening a path for greater acceptance of an industry that has faced a slew of lawsuits under the current SEC.
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December 04, 2024
Trump Names Slater To DOJ Antitrust Against 'Wild' Big Tech
President-elect Donald Trump signaled a full steam ahead approach to reining in major technology platforms with the announced nomination Wednesday of former Federal Trade Commission staffer and Trump administration economic adviser Gail Slater to run the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division.
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December 03, 2024
FTC Secures Location Data Sale Bans In Pair Of New Actions
The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday doubled down on its efforts to safeguard consumers' sensitive location information, announcing a pair of settlements against a data broker and an analytics provider that the commission claims unlawfully collected and sold data that could track individuals to health clinics and other sensitive places.
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December 03, 2024
Monsanto Expert Says No PCB Link To Kids' Conditions
Monsanto began its defense case Tuesday in the latest PCB trial with an OB/GYN who said he didn't believe that any of three sisters' skin problems or premature puberty stemmed from exposure to the chemical.
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December 03, 2024
Crypto Co. Hut 8 Wants Out Of Merger Disclosure Investor Suit
Crypto mining company Hut 8 moved to dismiss a proposed shareholder class action that is based on the claims of a short-seller's report that Hut 8 overpaid for a company with severe operational issues, saying the suit does not show the alleged misrepresentations were false or misleading when made or that investors were actually harmed.
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December 03, 2024
Antitrust Judge Rips Apple's 'Meritless' Doc Privilege Claims
Apple fought uphill Tuesday to convince a California federal magistrate judge that it properly withheld 57,000 documents from Epic Games due to attorney-client privilege in their antitrust fight, with the judge eventually telling its lawyer, "I disagree with everything you're saying, and the fact you're making these meritless arguments causes me concern."
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December 03, 2024
Pizza Chain Insurer Owes Share Of Salmonella Deal, Suit Says
An insurer told a Washington federal court that a Liberty Mutual subsidiary must contribute to a settlement reached by their mutual insured, a "take 'n' bake" pizza restaurant, arising out of allegations that customers purchased raw cookie dough tainted with Salmonella bacteria.
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December 03, 2024
Trump-Era Rule On Genetically Engineered Crops Tossed
A California federal judge on Monday vacated a 2020 Trump-era rule that a group of agricultural and environmental organizations alleged significantly reduced government oversight over genetically engineered crops, grasses and trees, granting the groups a partial summary judgment win due to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's inadequate explanations for the rule.
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December 03, 2024
Former Officials Target DOJ, FTC Position In Epic V. Google
The U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission drew criticism Tuesday from former officials who targeted the agencies' stance on Google's Ninth Circuit fight against the mandated opening of the Android Play Store, with the officials warning in an amicus brief against "compulsory sharing obligations."
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December 03, 2024
9th Circ. Ponders AIDS Generic Drug Reimbursement
A Ninth Circuit panel heard arguments Tuesday on a Seattle pharmacy's dispute with a benefits manager over reimbursements for the generic version of the HIV/AIDS drug Truvada, with one judge asking if the pharmacy was stuck with a lopsided deal, but also questioning if the contract obligated the payments.
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December 03, 2024
Chamber Backs T-Mobile, Sprint's Challenge To FCC Fine
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce told the D.C. Circuit that recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings make clear that the Federal Communications Commission overstepped its authority when it levied a combined $92 million in fines on T-Mobile and Sprint for selling users' location data.
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December 03, 2024
J&J's Neosporin Forever Discolored Man's Groin, Suit Says
Johnson & Johnson and its consumer health spinoff were sued in California state court over claims that Neosporin antibiotic ointment badly infected a Los Angeles man's scrotum and permanently discolored his groin.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
3rd. Circ. Got It Right On Cancer Warning Claims Preemption
The Third Circuit's recent, eminently sensible ruling in a failure-to-warn case against Roundup manufacturer Monsanto, holding that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act preempts state law claims, provides a road map that other courts should adopt, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation.
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.
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Finding Coverage For Online Retail Privacy Class Actions
Following recent court rulings interpreting state invasion of privacy and electronic surveillance statutes triggering a surge in the filing of privacy class actions against online retailers, companies should examine their various insurance policies, including E&O and D&O, for defense coverage of these claims, says Alison Gaske at Gilbert LLP.
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5 Ways To Confront Courtroom Technology Challenges
Recent cybersecurity incidents highlight the vulnerabilities of our reliance on digital infrastructure, meaning attorneys must be prepared to navigate technological obstacles inside the courtroom, including those related to data security, presentation hardware, video playback and more, says Adam Bloomberg at IMS Legal Strategies.
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The State Law Landscape After Justices' Social Media Ruling
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent NetChoice ruling on social media platforms’ First Amendment rights, it’s still unclear if state content moderation laws are constitutional, leaving online operators to face a patchwork of regulation, and the potential for the issue to return to the high court, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Navigating New Enforcement Scrutiny Of 'AI Washing'
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent lawsuit against Joonko Diversity, its first public AI-focused enforcement action against a private company, underscores the importance of applying the same internal legal and compliance rigor to AI-related claims as other market-facing statements, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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What's Next For Federal Preemption In Financial Services
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's review of its preemption interpretations and growing pressure from state regulators signal potential changes ahead for preemption in U.S. financial services, and the path forward will likely involve a reevaluation of the entire framework, say attorneys at Clark Hill.
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Employer Arbitration Lessons From Calif. Consumer Ruling
Although a California state appeals court’s recent arbitration ruling in Mahram v. Kroger involved a consumer transaction, the finding that the arbitration agreement at issue did not apply to a third-party beneficiary could influence how employment arbitration agreements are interpreted, says Sander van der Heide at CDF Labor Law.
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Unpacking Jurisdiction Issues In 3rd Circ. Arbitration Ruling
The Third Circuit's recent ruling in George v. Rushmore Service Center could be interpreted to establish three principles regarding district courts' jurisdiction to enter arbitration-related orders under the Federal Arbitration Act, two of which may lead to confusion, says David Cinotti at Pashman Stein.
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Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles
Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.
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'Pig Butchering': The Scam That Exploits Crypto Confusion
Certain red flags can tip off banks to possible "pig-butchering," and with the scam's increasing popularity, financial institutions need to take action to monitor entry points into the crypto space, detect suspicious activity and provide a necessary backstop to protect customers, say Brandon Essig and Mary Parrish McCracken at Lightfoot Franklin.
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Opinion
Agencies Should Reward Corporate Cyber Victim Cooperation
The increased regulatory scrutiny on corporate victims of cyberattacks — exemplified by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's case against SolarWinds — should be replaced with a new model that provides adequate incentives for companies to come forward proactively and collaborate with law enforcement, say attorneys at McDermott.
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How Transaction Lookbacks Can Guide Fintech Companies
As transaction lookbacks continue to be a key focus of enforcement actions, newer financial institutions like fintech companies should know they can benefit from proactively investigating their potential failure to identify suspicious activity, creating a compliance road map and building trust with regulators in the process, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.
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Opinion
CFPB's AI Stance Backslides On Innovation Issues
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent response to a Treasury Department's request for information about artificial intelligence in the financial services sector uses alarmist rhetoric about the technology's risks, ceding an opportunity to help shape this important discussion, says Mike Silver at Husch Blackwell.