Consumer Protection

  • August 15, 2024

    Audacy Sale To Soros Won't Be Rubber-Stamped, Cruz Says

    The Federal Communications Commission will hold a full commission vote on whether to transfer the licenses tied to Soros Fund Management's acquisition of an ownership interest in radio station owner Audacy Inc. after it emerges from bankruptcy, according to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

  • August 15, 2024

    Yearbook Site Has 'Tortured View' Of Suit Waiver, Judge Says

    A Washington federal judge criticized the company behind Classmates.com on Thursday for arguing someone could've waived their right to sue the company for using their photo without ever visiting the website, calling it a "tortured view" of the Terms of Services language.

  • August 15, 2024

    Realtors Urge 9th Circ. Not To Revive Zillow Antitrust Case

    The National Association of Realtors has urged the Ninth Circuit to reject a defunct brokerage platform's appeal in a case over design changes Zillow made to comply with an association rule, saying the rule is optional and that Zillow acted on its own.

  • August 15, 2024

    Monsanto Gets 3rd Circ. Win In Roundup Failure-To-Warn Case

    The Third Circuit ruled Thursday that a Pennsylvania state law failure-to-warn claim in a suit alleging the weed killer Roundup caused a Keystone State man's cancer is preempted by federal law, creating a circuit split on central issues in multidistrict litigation over the Monsanto product.

  • August 15, 2024

    Pharmacy Can't Dodge Novo Nordisk's Diabetes Drug Suit

    A Tennessee federal judge on Thursday declined to throw out a suit by Novo Nordisk Inc. alleging that DCA Pharmacy is selling drugs with the same active ingredient as its Ozempic diabetes medicine without U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization.

  • August 15, 2024

    FTC Renews Bid To Toss Meta's Constitutionality Case

    The Federal Trade Commission has told a D.C. federal court that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling does not support Meta's case raising constitutional challenges to a data privacy order, arguing the case should be tossed.

  • August 15, 2024

    Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines Extend DOJ Review Deadline, Again

    Alaska Air Group Inc. and Hawaiian Airlines disclosed a third extension in as many weeks Thursday for the U.S. Department of Justice to review their proposed $1.9 billion merger before it can close, moves that suggest at least that the DOJ has raised serious concerns about the transaction.

  • August 15, 2024

    Price-Fixing Claims Against Par Pharma Tossed After Ch. 11

    A Connecticut federal judge on Thursday tossed Par Pharmaceutical Cos. Inc. from two price-fixing lawsuits after the defendant and its parent, Endo International PLC, recently filed the Chapter 11 reorganization plans that they said shielded them from the cases.

  • August 15, 2024

    Fla.'s The Villages Exempted From FTC Noncompete Ban

    A Florida retirement community's real estate broker will be exempt when the Federal Trade Commission's noncompete ban goes into effect next month, under a limited injunction imposed by a federal judge who recognized the agency's rulemaking powers but said they go too far here.

  • August 15, 2024

    Court Tosses Challenge To Wyoming's New Hemp Law

    A Wyoming federal judge tossed a lawsuit Thursday brought by nearly a dozen hemp product retailers challenging the state's new hemp policy, saying most of the state defendants were entitled to immunity and that the retailers had not stated a claim for which relief could be granted.

  • August 15, 2024

    Connecticut Watchdog Calls For Action On Utility 'Rate Shock'

    A Connecticut consumer rights watchdog agency has asked the state's utility regulator to reverse rate hikes that it recently approved for major energy companies or to take other actions to prevent future "rate shock" for state residents.

  • August 15, 2024

    Gemini Suit Raises Novel Question On Crypto Law, Court Told

    A suit from a consumer advocacy organization claimed Gemini Trust Co.'s user agreement unfairly put the onus on consumers to protect themselves from scams, but the Winklevoss-led crypto exchange said the litigation raises a larger question of whether the federal statute at the heart of the claims applies to cryptocurrencies.

  • August 15, 2024

    Kerrygold, Customers Agree To End 'Pure' False Ad Suit

    A consumer who sued Irish butter brand Kerrygold has agreed to end her proposed class action over claims that it falsely advertised its product as "pure" even though it might contain "forever chemicals" by way of its packaging.

  • August 15, 2024

    Fake Prescription Caper Yields $10.2M Fine For Bankrupt Co.

    A Manhattan federal judge hit a defunct unit of bankrupt biotechnology concern DMK Pharmaceuticals Corp. with a $10.2 million fine Thursday, after the subsidiary admitted to criminally faking horse-drug prescriptions in a scheme that generated $4.2 million.

  • August 15, 2024

    Hemp Industry Rallies Against Calif. Bill

    Hemp companies are coming out against a California bill that would impose new THC limits on consumables sold outside of licensed dispensaries, with some industry leaders calling it an "existential threat" to the entire state market.

  • August 15, 2024

    Samsung Knew About Range Knobs Fire Risk, Suit Says

    Samsung Electronics was hit with a proposed consumer class action Wednesday in New York federal court in the wake of the company's announced recall program over a potential fire risk related to more than a million electric ranges with front-mounted knobs that can be turned on accidentally.

  • August 15, 2024

    Prof Rips DOJ, VW's 9th Circ. Bid To Shield Jones Day Docs

    A Loyola Marymount University professor has urged the Ninth Circuit to shut down the U.S. Department of Justice and Volkswagen AG's relentless "obfuscation" in a long-running dispute over access to confidential Volkswagen documents that were part of a Jones Day investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal.

  • August 15, 2024

    Banking Groups Sue To Thwart New Ill. Swipe Fee Restrictions

    The nation's largest bank trade association and other industry groups sued Thursday to block Illinois from implementing a new state law that prohibits financial intermediaries from charging so-called swipe fees on the sales tax and tip portions of payment card transactions, arguing it conflicts with federal law and risks broader "chaos."

  • August 15, 2024

    Delta Facing Second Customer Suit Over IT Outage Response

    A Florida resident hit Delta Air Lines with a second proposed class action claiming the company failed to properly refund and reimburse passengers when their flights were canceled or significantly delayed in the wake of the global CrowdStrike computer outage.

  • August 15, 2024

    DraftKings Looks To Wipe Out Suit Over Voided NBA Bets

    DraftKings fired back at an aggrieved bettor suing the online sportsbook over voided NBA bets that allegedly cost him a $150,000 payday, telling an Indiana federal judge that its rules plainly allow for the cancelation of wagers offered with obviously incorrect odds.

  • August 14, 2024

    T-Mobile Hit With $60M Fine Over National Security Risks

    The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. fined T-Mobile US Inc. $60 million for alleged national security failures, including failing to prevent the unauthorized access of "certain sensitive data" and to promptly report such incidents, according to news reports Wednesday and the agency's website.

  • August 14, 2024

    LinkedIn Can't Shake Privacy Suit Over DMV Data Collection

    A California federal judge has refused to ax a proposed class action accusing LinkedIn Corp. of unlawfully obtaining users' personal disability information from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles website, rejecting the company's arguments that it was merely acting as a "recording service" for the DMV and that the dispute couldn't proceed without the agency being added as a defendant. 

  • August 14, 2024

    CFPB Faces Call To Treat Housing Rental Leases As 'Credit'

    A major consumer advocacy group has formally petitioned the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to write new rules that would require landlords to provide "adverse action" explanations when rejecting prospective renters who have applied for an apartment or other housing lease.

  • August 14, 2024

    New York Sues Lease-To-Own Fintech For 'Cheating' Users

    New York state sued lease-to-own fintech company Acima on Wednesday, accusing the firm of taking advantage of consumers with deceptive practices around its lease agreements and interest rates that go far beyond the state's standard for usury.

  • August 14, 2024

    Costco Wants PFAS Kirkland Brand Baby Wipes Suit Tossed

    Costco hit back at a proposed class action over its fragrance-free "natural" baby wipes filed earlier this summer in California federal court, saying that the suit is trying to scare parents by alleging the wipes are tainted with so-called forever chemicals.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • What To Know As Children's Privacy Law Rapidly Evolves

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    If your business hasn't been paying attention to growing state and federal efforts to protect children online, now is the time to start — there is no sign of this regulation slowing down, and more aggressive enforcement actions are to be expected in the coming year, says Susan Rohol at Willkie Farr.

  • What Cos. Should Know About New Global Plastics Regs

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    As the global regulatory landscape for plastics and recycling changes rapidly — with new policies coming into effect in California, at the federal level, in the European Union and at the United Nations — businesses that operate across jurisdictions must stay informed to remain compliant, mitigate legal risk and achieve stewardship goals, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

  • Dissecting Treasury's Call For Input On AI In Financial Sector

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    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's request for comments on the potential benefits and challenges AI may pose to the financial services sector, which asks how stakeholders are addressing and mitigating increased fraud risks, reflects the federal government's continued interest in AI's effects across the economy, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Opinion

    The FTC Needs To Challenge The Novo-Catalent Deal

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    Novo's acquisition of Catalent threatens to substantially lessen competition in the manufacturing and marketing of GLP-1 diabetes and obesity drugs, and the Federal Trade Commission should challenge it under a vertical theory of harm, as it aligns with last year's merger guidelines and the Fifth Circuit decision in Illumina, says attorney David Balto.

  • Md. Deal Highlights Consumer Finance Program Regulations

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    Maryland regulators’ recent settlement with the Bank of Missouri and its consumer lending partners, Atlanticus and Fortiva, offers a reminder that it is important to properly structure such partnerships and conduct sufficient due diligence on state licensing requirements, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 3 Areas Of Enforcement Risk Facing The EV Industry

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    Companies in the EV manufacturing ecosystem are experiencing a boom in business, but with this boom comes increased regulatory and enforcement risks, from the corruption issues that have historically pervaded the extractive sector to newer risks posed by artificial intelligence, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Nat'l Security Considerations For Telecom Products Counsel

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    An increase in federal national security measures in the telecommunications space, particularly from the Federal Communications Commission, means that products counsel need to broaden their considerations as they advise on new products and services, says Laura Stefani at Venable.

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