Consumer Protection

  • July 31, 2025

    Crypto Co., NBA Arm Strike $7M Deal Over NFT Privacy Claims

    Users of the nonfungible token marketplace known as NBA Top Shot asked a California federal judge Thursday to grant the first green light to a $7.05 million settlement they reached with the marketing arm of the NBA and a cryptocurrency company that will resolve a class action over privacy concerns related to the marketplace.

  • July 31, 2025

    Judge Rejects Hemp Interests' Bid To Halt Md. Pot Policy

    A Maryland federal judge has declined to halt enforcement of a state policy that requires hemp retailers to obtain recreational cannabis licenses, saying the hemp interests that sought the injunction lacked standing and were unlikely to succeed on their claims.

  • July 31, 2025

    Amazon Customer Can't Nix Defenses In 'Bling' Blinding Suit

    A California federal judge largely denied a woman's bid for an early judgment on Amazon.com Servies LLC's defenses and some claims in her suit alleging she was blinded in one eye by a "sparkly bling" steering wheel accessory when her airbag deployed in a collision.

  • July 31, 2025

    FCC Urged To Review Delay On New Prison Phone Rate Rules

    Inmate-rights advocates are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider its delay of new prison phone rate rules In June, arguing that no one asked for the blanket two-year pause and that no notice and comment process was undertaken.

  • July 31, 2025

    Judge Nixes IRS' Renewed Bid To Dismiss Tax Refund Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge denied the Internal Revenue Service's renewed attempt to dismiss a tax refund suit for lack of jurisdiction, saying the repeated motions to drop the case would prevent the district court from proceeding to the discovery phase in the litigation.

  • July 31, 2025

    NC Homebuyer Says Mortgage Co. Sent Kickbacks To Broker

    A homebuyer has accused a Raleigh, North Carolina, brokerage of taking kickbacks to refer borrowers exclusively to mortgage origination company CrossCountry Mortgage under a secret arrangement by executives of the two businesses, according to a complaint filed in federal court.

  • July 31, 2025

    FCC Reversing Gains On Broadband Study, Groups Say

    Public interest groups say the Federal Communications Commission is poised to reverse progress that it made in recent years in gauging the affordability and adoption of broadband service across the country.

  • July 31, 2025

    Vistra Pays $38M To End FERC Market Manipulation Case

    Vistra Corp. has agreed to pay $38 million to end long-running Federal Energy Regulatory Commission litigation alleging that affiliate Dynegy Inc. manipulated electricity capacity auction rules in 2015, which led to consumers being unjustly overcharged.

  • July 31, 2025

    4th Circ. Says Brokers Owe Atty Fees Over Case Removal Row

    A unanimous Fourth Circuit panel has affirmed a South Carolina federal judge's order requiring several financial firms to pay more than $63,000 in legal fees for improperly trying to remove a securities class action to federal court for a second time, but said they don't have to pay additional fees to cover the cost of the appeal.

  • July 31, 2025

    Full FCC Hearing Sought On T-Mobile, UScellular Tie-Up

    Several trade and public interest groups urged the Federal Communications Commission to hold a full agency review of T-Mobile's plan to take over most of UScellular after FCC staff gave the deal a green light almost three weeks ago.

  • July 31, 2025

    Home Sellers Defend $110M In Broker Fee Deals To 8th Circ.

    Home sellers are defending $110 million in settlements cut with several real estate brokerages in the sprawling litigation targeting the National Association of Realtors' broker commission rules from objections in a series of Eighth Circuit appeals.

  • July 31, 2025

    Conn. Atty Pins Failed Redaction On Tech In Gunmaker Suit

    A third party's ability to bypass redactions and view protected documents was due to a software issue, a Connecticut civil litigator has told a federal judge, urging the court not to authorize sanctions for what he said was a "good faith" effort at redacting filings amid his dueling lawsuits with gunmaker Sig Sauer.

  • July 31, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Google's Play Store Antitrust Trial Loss

    A Ninth Circuit panel Thursday affirmed Epic Games' 2023 antitrust jury trial win, along with an injunction requiring Google to open its Google Play Store to rivals, backing a landmark finding that Google monopolized the Android app-distribution market.

  • July 31, 2025

    Split 3rd Circ. Expels Rutgers MBA Fraud Suit Over Standing

    The plaintiff leading a proposed class action against Rutgers University for allegedly cooking its MBA rankings by fudging job placement statistics doesn't have standing because he was in a different part-time certificate program, a split Third Circuit has ruled, affirming a New Jersey federal court's decision.

  • July 31, 2025

    Meta Faces EU Probe Into WhatsApp AI Tying Allegations

    Italian antitrust enforcers are opening an investigation into Meta, saying that the company may have run afoul of anti-bundling laws by tying its dominant WhatsApp messaging service with its new Meta AI assistant.

  • July 31, 2025

    Mercedes-Benz Can't Escape All Of Wood Veneer Crack Suit

    A Georgia federal judge won't dismiss the bulk of a proposed class action alleging that Mercedes-Benz Group AG sold vehicles with defective wooden trim veneer that cracked after extended use, leaving 11 of the 18 counts in the amended complaint alive.

  • July 31, 2025

    Fintech, BofA, JPMorgan Face Class Suit Over Cyberattack

    Financial software company Finastra Technology Inc., Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase Bank NA face a proposed class action alleging they failed to properly safeguard customers' personal information that was exposed by a data breach.

  • July 30, 2025

    Sens. Step Up Push For Data Privacy Law Amid AI's Rise

    The leaders of a Senate data privacy subcommittee Wednesday put the spotlight back on longstanding efforts to craft a nationwide framework for how companies use and disclose consumers' personal information, arguing that a growing state law patchwork and the rise of artificial intelligence accelerated the need for such protections.

  • July 30, 2025

    Flo Likely To Get Health Privacy Claim Tossed In Meta Case

    The California federal judge overseeing a trial on allegations that Flo Health and Meta Platforms Inc. violated the privacy of millions of women who used Flo's period tracker app said Wednesday he'd likely toss the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act claim, saying the lack of evidence is an "unsurmountable" problem.

  • July 30, 2025

    White House Crypto Report Sets Blueprint For Coming Rules

    A long-awaited report from the President's Working Group on Digital Asset Markets that was released Wednesday encouraged securities and derivatives regulators to use their existing authorities to clear the way for crypto issuance and trading in the absence of lasting legislation, while also urging banking regulators to sharpen standards for crypto engagement.

  • July 30, 2025

    E-Commerce Firms To Pay $15M To End FTC's AI Scam Claims

    A New Jersey-based network of e-commerce coaching firms will pay more than $15 million to end a Federal Trade Commission suit accusing it of duping consumers out of nearly $16 million through false promises of AI-driven success on e-commerce platforms, according to a federal court order filed Wednesday.

  • July 30, 2025

    Iowa Slams Schwab's 'Amorphous' Antitrust Compliance Deal

    The state of Iowa is among a slew of objectors to a settlement calling for Charles Schwab Corp. to implement an antitrust compliance program to resolve an investor class action stemming from its merger with TD Ameritrade, arguing the deal is unfair and completely fails to remedy the investors' harm.

  • July 30, 2025

    Connecticut Says 2 Men Sold $2.5M In Fake Cannabis Licenses

    Two Connecticut businessmen ran a counterfeit cannabis licensing operation, selling fake credentials to as many as 70 retailers in the state for as much as $30,000 a certificate, according to a lawsuit filed by state officials who seek a $2.5 million judgment against the accused.

  • July 30, 2025

    State Farm Ordered To Pay $54.6M Over Vehicle Valuations

    State Farm must pay more than $54.6 million across two class actions for underpaying the value of totaled vehicles via a "typical negotiation" deduction, a Washington federal court ruled, noting the plaintiffs provided "undisputed" evidence that State Farm violated the state's Consumer Protection Act.

  • July 30, 2025

    Cash App Parent's $12.5M Spam Text Settlement Gets 1st OK

    A Washington federal judge has granted preliminary approval to Cash App parent Block Inc.'s $12.5 million class action settlement with customers who alleged they were bombarded with "annoying and harassing spam texts" from the company. 

Expert Analysis

  • What To Expect As UK, US Gov'ts Develop Stablecoin Policies

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    While the U.K. and U.S. governments’ policies both suggest that fiat-backed stablecoins can improve efficiency and safety in payments systems, a perception that crypto-assets remain high risk means consumers are unlikely to use them in significant volume anytime soon, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • Challenging A Class Representative's Adequacy And Typicality

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    Recent cases highlight that a named plaintiff cannot certify a putative class action unless they can meet all the applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, so defendants should consider challenging a plaintiff's ability to meet typicality and adequacy requirements early and often, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • Yacht Broker Case Highlights Industry Groups' Antitrust Risk

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    The Eleventh Circuit recently revived class claims against the International Yacht Brokers Association, signaling that commission-driven industries beyond real estate are vulnerable to antitrust challenges after the National Association of Realtors settled similar allegations last year, says Miles Santiago at the Southern University Law Center and Alex Hebert at Southern Compass.

  • Opinion

    Juries Are Key In Protecting The Rule Of Law

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    Absent from the recent discourse about U.S. rule of law is the crucial role of impartial jurors in protecting the equitable administration of justice, and attorneys and judges should take affirmative steps to reverse the yearslong decline of jury trials at this critical moment, says consultant Clint Townson.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • What To Know About Bill Aiming To Curb CIPA

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    A bill pending in the California Assembly would amend the California Invasion of Privacy Act to allow for the use of website tracking technologies for commercial business purposes, limiting class actions seeking damages under the act for industry standard practices, say Katherine Alphonso and Avazeh Pourhamzeh at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Practical Implications Of SEC's New Crypto Staking Guidance

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent staff guidance that protocol staking does not constitute securities offerings provides a workable compliance blueprint for crypto developers, validators and custodial platforms willing to keep staking strictly limited to protocol-driven rewards, say attorneys at Cahill.

  • State Law Challenges In Enforcing Arbitration Clauses

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    In recent cases, state courts in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey have considered or endorsed heightened standards for arbitration agreements, which can mean the difference between a bilateral arbitration and a full-blown class action in court, says Fabien Thayamballi at Shapiro Arato.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • How To Strengthen A Case By Mastering Expert Witness Prep

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    A well-prepared expert witness can bolster a case's credibility with persuasive qualifications, compelling voir dire responses and concise testimony that can withstand cross-examination, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • How McKesson Ruling Will Inform Interpretations Of The TCPA

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    Amid the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in McLaughlin Chiropractic Associates v. McKesson, we can expect to see both plaintiffs and defendants utilizing the decision to revisit the Federal Communications Commission's past Telephone Consumer Protection Act interpretations and decisions they did not like, says Jason McElroy at Saul Ewing.

  • Series

    Georgia Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter brought a number of significant legislative and regulatory changes for Georgia banking, including an extension of the intangibles tax exemption for short-term notes, modernization of routine regulatory practices, and new guardrails against mortgage trigger leads, says Walter Jones at Balch & Bingham.

  • Capital One Deal Approval Lights Up Path For Bank M&A

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    The federal banking regulators' recent approval of Capital One's acquisition of Discover signals the agencies' willingness to approve large transactions and a more favorable environment generally for bank mergers under the Trump administration, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Examining TCPA Jurisprudence A Year After Loper Bright

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    One year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, lower court decisions demonstrate that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act will continue to evolve as long-standing interpretations of the act are analyzed with a fresh lens, says Aaron Gallardo at Kilpatrick.

  • Gauging The Risky Business Of Business Risk Disclosures

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    With the recent rise of securities fraud actions based on external events — like a data breach or environmental disaster — that drive down stock prices, risk disclosures have become more of a sword for the plaintiffs bar than a shield for public companies, now the subject of a growing circuit split, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

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