Consumer Protection

  • November 07, 2024

    Ex-Celsius CEO OK'd To Seek Testimony From Abroad

    A New York federal judge Thursday gave former Celsius Network CEO Alex Mashinsky the green light to seek deposition testimony from witnesses reading abroad that he claims is crucial to his defense, but declined to narrow the case against the founder of the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency-lending platform. 

  • November 07, 2024

    OpenAI Beats Copyright Suit By 2 News Websites, For Now

    OpenAI preliminarily escaped one of the many copyright suits it's facing from journalism publishers on Thursday, as a New York federal judge found that two alternative news websites didn't sufficiently allege harm from the removal of author information in ChatGPT training sets.

  • November 07, 2024

    Valve Says Atty Ignoring, Threatening Gamers In Antitrust Row

    Valve Corp. has urged a Washington federal judge to grant it permission to directly contact game buyers whom the gaming marketplace company is suing to block them from continuing to arbitrate their antitrust claims, saying some gamers want out of arbitration, but their counsel at Bucher Law PLLC is not responsive to their queries.

  • November 07, 2024

    Ex-Natera VP Defends Ad Campaign Against Rival Guardant

    A former Natera Inc. marketing vice president defended the company Thursday in a false advertising case launched by Guardant Health Inc., testifying that there was a sales and marketing campaign against Guardant's Reveal colorectal cancer test, but its aim was to address Guardant's "misleading" claims.

  • November 07, 2024

    3rd Circ. Says Tainted Bayer Antifungals Clearly 'Worth Less'

    Four of the nine named plaintiffs in a proposed class action over Bayer's 2021 recall of potentially benzene-tainted antifungal sprays can revive their claims against the company on the grounds that they'd paid for an effectively worthless product, a Third Circuit panel ruled Thursday.

  • November 07, 2024

    Wash. Gov.-Elect Outlines Plan To Resist Less 'Sloppy' Trump

    As Washington attorney general, Bob Ferguson said he thwarted policies during a "sloppy" first Trump presidency, including blocking an immigration travel ban. And on Thursday, Ferguson, who becomes governor in January, said he is leaving an office well-equipped for a potential round two of litigation with an emboldened and potentially more disciplined Trump administration.

  • November 07, 2024

    Flagstar Customer Asks 6th Circ. To Revive Overdraft Fee Suit

    A Flagstar Bank customer has urged the Sixth Circuit to revive her class claims alleging the bank charged surprise overdraft fees, arguing that a Michigan district court failed to follow the "settled rules" dictating that ambiguous contract terms should be interpreted against the drafter.

  • November 07, 2024

    9th Circ. Finds No Jurisdiction In LG Chem Battery Suit

    The Ninth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a suit against LG Chem Ltd. over a lithium-ion battery used in an e-cigarette that allegedly burned a California man, finding that the lower court was correct in holding that it had no jurisdiction over the case.

  • November 07, 2024

    Ex-TD Branch Manager Gets 13 Months For Account Theft

    A former New York-based branch manager of TD Bank was sentenced to 13 months in prison after pleading guilty to stealing over $200,000 from a customer's account, even after the customer had died.

  • November 07, 2024

    Net Neutrality Foes See 6th Circ. Clearing Path To End Rules

    Recent arguments in the Sixth Circuit over the Federal Communications Commission's controversial net neutrality restrictions didn't give a definitive indication of how judges will decide the issue, but the rule's opponents are buoyed by questions that appeared at times to lean in their favor.

  • November 07, 2024

    Car Dealer To Pay $5.8M To Investors Over Pot Stock Scheme

    A Michigan car dealer accused of selling shares for a largely bogus cannabis company has admitted to violating state securities law and has agreed to return investor money, roughly $5.8 million, according to a consent order issued by an Ohio federal judge.

  • November 07, 2024

    Sutter Health Could Face Retrial On Antitrust Claims In March

    Sutter Health is headed back to trial after the Ninth Circuit said "highly relevant" evidence was excluded from the 2022 trial where the hospital chain defeated claims that it had driven up the cost of insurance, and the court overseeing the matter says March is the earliest it can do.

  • November 07, 2024

    Fifth Third Takes Cash Advance Suit Verdict To 6th Circ.

    Fifth Third Bank has notified an Ohio federal judge that it plans to appeal to the Sixth Circuit a jury's finding that it breached customer contracts with borrowers who participated in its Early Access loan program and the judge's order denying the bank a new trial.

  • November 07, 2024

    Alaska Flyers Lodge Emergency 9th Circ. Bid To Halt Merger

    Flyers and travel agents hoping to block Alaska Airlines' $1.9 billion merger with Hawaiian Airlines are asking the Ninth Circuit for an emergency halt to any further integration between the companies while they appeal a district court's dismissal of their suit, telling the judges consumers will be hurt if the merger continues.

  • November 07, 2024

    Fed Chair Powell Says He Won't Step Down If Trump Asks

    Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that he would not step down from his role if President-elect Donald Trump asked him to, doubling down on his commitment to serving out the remaining two years of his appointment leading the central bank.

  • November 07, 2024

    Pencils Down On Controversial Regs, GOP Rep Tells FCC

    The House Commerce Committee's Republican chair called on the Federal Communications Commission to halt any plans for new rules that could pass only along partisan lines, which she says is in keeping with past presidential transitions.

  • November 07, 2024

    Colo. Says Man Sold $3M In Unregistered Securities

    Colorado securities regulators filed a lawsuit in state court alleging a man sold more than $3 million of unregistered securities to investors, many of them friends, students or women he met through dating apps, while withholding important information or misrepresenting the investments.

  • November 07, 2024

    Navy Federal Inks $95M Settlement Of CFPB Overdraft Claims

    Navy Federal Credit Union on Thursday agreed to refund more than $80 million to its members and pay a $15 million civil penalty to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to settle allegations that it charged illegal "surprise" overdraft fees.

  • November 07, 2024

    Eye Drop Maker To Pay $3.6M To Settle Class Claims

    A maker of homeopathic eye drops has agreed to pay nearly $3.6 million to settle claims its products are being sold as drugs without U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and don't meet manufacturing safety standards, according to a preliminary settlement agreement filed Wednesday.

  • November 07, 2024

    Same PBM Conduct Means Same Insulin Price Trial, FTC Says

    Federal Trade Commission staffers want Caremark Rx, Express Scripts and OptumRx kept together in a single in-house case accusing the pharmacy benefit managers of artificially inflating insulin prices through unfair rebate schemes, arguing they are all "accused of violating the same laws by engaging in the same type of conduct."

  • November 07, 2024

    Attys For Solar Co. Ex-CEO Should Be DQ'd, Plaintiffs Say

    The lawyers representing the former CEO of a bankrupt solar energy company should be disqualified, attorneys for the plaintiffs in a suit against him said Wednesday, arguing that the firm had multiple conflicts of interest with its work as in-house counsel for the solar energy company and was intentionally delaying discovery because of its "obvious web of conflicting obligations."

  • November 07, 2024

    Sirius XM Flags Evidence Of Disruption From FCC Plan

    Sirius XM Radio is telling the Federal Communications Commission that Apple, Broadcom, Google and Meta have been too dismissive of its concerns about allowing outdoor use of virtual reality headsets and other very low power devices on the low-7 gigahertz band, urging the commission to protect its service from interference.

  • November 07, 2024

    Canada's Competition Bureau Seeks Dye & Durham Docs

    Canada's Competition Bureau announced Thursday that it obtained a court order to gather information and advance an ongoing investigation into alleged anti-competitive conduct by legal technology company Dye & Durham Ltd., which has been scrutinized over the past year by activist investors and other national regulatory bodies.

  • November 07, 2024

    Calif. Gov. Lays Groundwork To Fight Trump Policies In Court

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special legislative session on Thursday to fund litigation against President-elect Donald Trump's potential erosion of abortion rights, immigration protections and environmental progress, saying lawyers for the blue state have already begun preparing "to challenge in court unconstitutional and unlawful federal policies."

  • November 07, 2024

    Louisiana Says EPA Usurped State Power In Pollution Row

    The state of Louisiana told the Fifth Circuit that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has no authority to invalidate a two-year compliance deadline extension the state granted to a neoprene manufacturer, which is being sued by the agency. 

Expert Analysis

  • Remedy May Be Google's Biggest Hurdle Yet In Antitrust Case

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    There are difficulties ahead in the remedies phase of the antitrust case against Google in District of Columbia federal court, including the search engine giant's scale advantage and the fast-moving nature of the tech industry, setting the stage for the most challenging of the proceedings so far, says Jonathan Rubin at MoginRubin.

  • 3 Ways To Limit Risks Of Black-Box AI In Financial Services

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    As regulators increasingly highlight the potential for artificial intelligence to make unfair consumer credit decisions, and require financial institutions to explain how these so-called black-box algorithms arrive at conclusions, companies should consider three key questions to reduce their regulatory risks from these tools, say Jeffrey Naimon and Caroline Stapleton at Orrick.

  • Takeaways From EU's 'Pay Or Consent' Advertising Probe

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    Anne-Gabrielle Haie and Charles Whiddington at Steptoe examine key points from the European Commission's recent investigation into Big Tech's use of "pay or consent" advertising models, as well as the European Data Protection Board’s opinion on how such models can comply with EU competition and data protection laws.

  • When Banks Unknowingly Become HIPAA Biz Associates

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    There appears to be significant confusion regarding the application of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act to financial institutions when serving healthcare-related clients, so these institutions should consider undertaking several steps as a starting point in the effort to achieve compliance, say attorneys at Vorys.

  • From Muppet Heads To OJ's Glove: How To Use Props At Trial

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    Demonstrative graphics have become so commonplace in the courtroom that jurors may start to find them boring, but attorneys can keep jurors engaged and improve their recall by effectively using physical props at trial, says Clint Townson at Townson Consulting.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Opting In To CIPA Risk Mitigation After New Precedent

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    A recent California federal court decision, adopting a new, broad interpretation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, will likely increase the volume of CIPA claims and should prompt businesses to undertake certain preventative measures, including adopting an opt-in approach to using third-party website advertising technologies, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

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    As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • CFPB's Earned Wage Access Rule Marks Regulatory Shift

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's newly issued interpretive rule on earned wage access products, classifying them as extensions of credit, marks a significant shift in their regulatory landscape and raises some important questions regarding potential fringe cases and legal challenges, say Erin Bryan and Courina Yulisa at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • What 7th Circ. Samsung Decision Means For Mass Arbitration

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    The Seventh Circuit's recent decision in Wallrich v. Samsung highlights the dilemma faced by mass arbitration filers in the face of nonpayment of arbitration fees by the defending party — but also suggests that there are risks for defendants in pursuing such a strategy, says Daniel Campbell at McDermott.

  • How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act

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    In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.

  • FTC Drives Crackdown On Connected Cars' Data Privacy Risk

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    After the Federal Trade Commission's warning to automakers about data privacy, which continues to emerge as a national concern, automakers must carefully examine their data collection, use and retention practices, say Catherine Castaldo and Michael Rubayo at Reed Smith.

  • Jarkesy May Thwart Consumer Agencies' Civil Penalty Power

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy not only implicates future SEC administrative adjudications, but those of other agencies that operate similarly — and may stymie regulators' efforts to levy civil monetary penalties in a range of consumer protection enforcement actions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • How Courts Split On Damages Analysis In Automotive Suits

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    As high-profile vehicle recalls and lawsuits alleging vehicle defects surge, many plaintiffs are turning to choice-based conjoint analysis to calculate damages, but a review of federal district court decisions reveals a range of views on the validity of this methodology, say Joshua Hochberg and Shireen Meer at Berkeley Research.

  • Considerations As State AGs Step Up Privacy Enforcement

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    As new state privacy laws take effect, businesses are facing an increasingly complex patchwork of compliance obligations and risk of scrutiny by attorneys general, but companies can gain a competitive edge by building consumer trust and staying ahead of regulatory trends, say Ann-Marie Luciano and Meghan Stoppel at Cozen O’Connor.

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