Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Consumer Protection
-
October 31, 2024
6th Circ. Wrestles With Reach Of FCC's Net Neutrality Powers
Sixth Circuit judges on Thursday sought to clear up what one described as a "close call" over how much authority Congress gave the Federal Communications Commission to regulate internet traffic when lawmakers overhauled telecommunications law in 1996.
-
October 31, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Revive 'Ghost Cattle' Contract Fight With Tyson
The Ninth Circuit said Thursday a rancher who admitted to invoicing Tyson Foods Inc. for nonexistent cattle cannot sue the meat company for allegedly using his name and photograph in marketing materials without giving him a cut of the profits, rejecting the rancher's argument that Tyson had agreed orally to the deal.
-
October 31, 2024
Flint Water Case Paused For 'Advanced' Settlement Talks
Days after a jury trial meant to decide whether a water firm failed to properly warn of the dangers of the city of Flint's water was delayed a second time, a Michigan federal judge paused two bellwether cases because of "advanced settlement negotiations" between individual plaintiffs and the firm.
-
October 31, 2024
LA Hits Pepsi, Coca-Cola With Plastic Waste, Deception Suit
Los Angeles County hit PepsiCo Inc. and The Coca-Cola Co. with a California state suit claiming the longtime soft drink rivals are spouting falsehoods about recycling's ability to address their single-use plastic waste and flooding the environment with growing amounts of harmful plastic despite pledges to reduce it.
-
October 31, 2024
Copyright Office Says Rest Of AI Report To Come By Year End
The U.S. Copyright Office plans to submit the remainder of a report on the intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright law by the end of the year, the office told House lawmakers who expressed concern over what they said were late submissions.
-
October 31, 2024
FCC's Senior Republican Blasts Bulk-Billing Restrictions
One-half of the Federal Communicatiions Commission's Republican minority is coming out strong against the majority's plans to restrict bulk billing for broadband services, saying that the commission was under pressure by the Biden administration to "raise the price of Internet service for Americans living in apartments by as much as 50%."
-
October 31, 2024
Fridge Owners Seek OK On Whirlpool Defect Suit Settlement
A proposed class of refrigerator owners is asking a California federal court to give the go-ahead to a settlement to resolve claims that Whirlpool Corp. sold refrigerators with a defect that caused food to spoil or go moldy.
-
October 31, 2024
Meta Users Fight Uphill For Cert., But Advertisers Have A Shot
A California federal judge who was asked to certify two classes in litigation alleging that Facebook parent Meta Platforms monopolized the social media advertising market and misused users' data said Thursday that the users' damage theory wasn't "plausible," but appeared open to the advertisers' claim they suffered the same alleged injury.
-
October 31, 2024
Health District Must Face Cyberattack Suit, Wash. Judges Say
A municipal health department in Washington is back on the hook in litigation over a cyberattack that affected nearly 109,000 individuals, thanks to a precedential ruling by a state appellate court Thursday reviving claims that the department was negligent in storing patients' personal information.
-
October 31, 2024
Ga. Private Pilot Sues Engine Co. After Golf Course Landing
A Georgia man has sued a division of Avco Corp. alleging that the engine had failed in a small plane that he had rented, forcing him to crash-land on a golf course in Illinois, injuring him and his family.
-
October 31, 2024
Philly DA's Suit Over Musk's $1M Voter 'Lottery' Goes Federal
A Pennsylvania federal judge is set to decide whether Elon Musk's $1 million daily giveaway to battleground state voters who sign a pledge from his PAC is an illegal lottery, as Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner claimed in a suit transferred to federal court on Thursday.
-
October 31, 2024
Oversight GOP Reps. Take Big Swing At FTC Chair
House Republicans on Thursday accused Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan of becoming a "political tool" of the Biden administration, which they say has undermined the independent nature of the agency.
-
October 31, 2024
Monthly Merger Review Snapshot
Kroger and Albertsons endured overlapping trials in cases challenging their planned grocery store megamerger, as the Federal Trade Commission got a major fashion industry deal paused and pushed its bid to block the $4 billion merger of Tempur Sealy and Mattress Firm.
-
October 31, 2024
Airbnb Insurance Providers Sued Over Undisclosed Fees
A proposed class of Airbnb users sued two insurers for the rental platform in Washington federal court, alleging the providers violate state law by charging consumers who buy their travel insurance with an unavoidable "assistance fee."
-
October 31, 2024
Judge Asks If Full 6th Circ. Needs To Settle Emissions Conflict
A Sixth Circuit judge expressed discomfort Thursday with the possibility his panel could be asked to declare that colleagues made conflicting calls in separate suits alleging carmakers deceived consumers about vehicle sustainability, wondering if the full circuit needed to weigh in.
-
October 31, 2024
The 2024 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard
Check out the Law360 Pulse Leaderboard to see which firms made the list of leaders in all-around excellence this year.
-
October 31, 2024
Firms' Hiring Strategies Are Evolving In Fight For Top Spot
Competition for top talent among elite law firms shows no signs of slowing down, even amid economic uncertainty, with financially strong firms deploying aggressive strategies to attract and retain skilled professionals to solidify their market position.
-
October 31, 2024
Toast Releases Steakhouse Funds Amid Ownership Spat
Restaurant point-of-sale provider Toast has agreed to release more than $312,000 to the current manager of a Brazilian steakhouse in Boston's Seaport District amid litigation stemming from an ownership dispute.
-
October 31, 2024
Meta Says CFPB Mulling Enforcement Action Over Advertising
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said Thursday that it is facing a potential Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement action following an agency probe into financial-related advertising on its platform.
-
October 30, 2024
Binance Can't Force Canadian Class Action Into Arbitration
A Canadian appeals court has affirmed that cryptocurrency exchange Binance cannot force a proposed class action accusing it of illegally trading and distributing securities into arbitration in Hong Kong, saying a lower court judge correctly found the arbitration clause to be unenforceable.
-
October 30, 2024
Apparel Co.'s Crypto Allies Say SEC Suit Is Ripe For Court
Cryptocurrency advocates have told a Texas federal judge that apparel company Beba and its crypto industry group backer have standing to preemptively sue the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, arguing that the regulator has created an impossible situation for crypto firms by bringing enforcement actions without setting clear rules for digital assets.
-
October 30, 2024
Dole Whip Buyer Says Labels Belie Artificial Ingredients
Dole Food Co. falsely lauds its Dole Whip products as containing "no artificial ingredients," despite the sweet snacks containing manufactured citric acid and other artificial additives, according to a consumer's proposed class action filed Wednesday in California federal court.
-
October 30, 2024
PayPal Says CFPB Is Probing Its Credit Product, Digital Wallets
PayPal has disclosed that it received an investigative demand from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over its PayPal Credit-branded product, as well as digital wallet payment options.
-
October 30, 2024
Capital One Says It Disclosed Sale Of Consumer Account Data
Capital One has urged a California federal judge to toss a proposed class action alleging that it surreptitiously disclosed the personal financial information of millions of consumers to Meta, Google, Microsoft and other third parties without consumers' consent, saying it "fully disclosed" to customers the bank's use of routine marketing and analytics software.
-
October 30, 2024
Equifax Doesn't Report Ch. 7 Discharges, Suit Says
Credit reporting bureau Equifax was recently hit with a proposed class action accusing it of failing to note discharged debts when debtors converted their bankruptcy cases from Chapter 13 to Chapter 7.
Expert Analysis
-
Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
-
How To Deploy AI In A Dangerous Threat Landscape
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.