Consumer Protection

  • August 29, 2024

    FCC's New Rules For Rural 5G Fund Stir Controversy

    The Federal Communications Commission said Thursday it had adopted a framework for the 5G Fund for Rural America to auction up to $9 billion in its first phase to fill gaps in mobile broadband, but not all stakeholders are pleased with the rules.

  • August 29, 2024

    Mars Wrigley Must Face False Ad Suit Over 'Real Cheese'

    Snack maker Mars Wrigley could not escape claims it falsely advertised its Cheddar Cheese Combos as being made with "real cheese," after a New York federal judge ruled that consumers' adequately showed they paid a premium for inferior "cheese substitute."

  • August 29, 2024

    Auto Tech Org. Pushes FCC To Speed Up Smart Car 5G Rules

    The 5G Automotive Association is asking the Federal Communications Commission to push the gas and schedule a vote on rules that would bring advanced vehicle communications technology to the 5.9 gigahertz band.

  • August 29, 2024

    Schwab's 'Cash Sweep' Paid For TD Ameritrade Buy, Suit Says

    The Charles Schwab Corp. has been hit with a proposed class action in California federal court by three customers alleging that the investment bank obtains "outsized benefits" from its cash sweep programs and used a significant amount of the cash to finance its $26 billion acquisition of TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. several years ago.

  • August 29, 2024

    Nigerian Fintech Ex-CEO Hit With $32M Fine In SEC Fraud Suit

    A New York federal judge has levied a nearly $32 million penalty against a Nigerian businessman whom the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has accused of fraudulently inflating the value of his food and agriculture technology businesses, while also ordering him and various affiliated businesses to cough up hundreds of millions of dollars in disgorgement and prejudgment interest.

  • August 29, 2024

    CFPB Fines NewDay $2.25M Over VA Home Loan Practices

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau levied a $2.25 million fine against NewDay Financial LLC on Thursday for allegedly deceiving active-duty service members and veterans seeking cash-out refinance loans on their home mortgages.

  • August 29, 2024

    FCC Rolls Out Rules For Drones' Use Of 5 GHz Band

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday announced it had adopted initial rules for the use of drones in the 5 gigahertz band by allowing operators to obtain frequency assignments.

  • August 29, 2024

    Comer Tells PBMs To Correct Record On Role In Drug Pricing

    Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, is demanding that the heads of three major pharmacy benefit managers "correct the record" on their testimony made before his committee in July about their roles in drug pricing, including company claims that the PBMs don't steer customers to in-house pharmacies and that they allow non-affiliated pharmacies to negotiate contracts.

  • August 29, 2024

    NLRB Partners With Other Feds In Merger Probes

    The National Labor Relations Board said it's teaming up with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate mergers that present competition concerns for workers.

  • August 29, 2024

    CFPB Notches Default Win Against Ga. Auto Loan Servicer

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has scored a default judgment against a Georgia-based auto loan servicer accused of a slew of unlawful business practices, including using kill switches to shut off borrowers' cars and double charging them for insurance premiums.

  • August 29, 2024

    Trucker Urges Justices To Back Wide RICO Scope In CBD Case

    A commercial truck driver who alleges he lost his job after consuming products containing THC is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a Second Circuit ruling that the civil racketeering statute applies to personal injuries when they upset a person's employment.

  • August 29, 2024

    Nektar Can't Get Docs It Says Show Lilly As 'Thieves, Liars'

    A California federal judge Thursday rejected Nektar Therapeutics' request for internal Eli Lilly documents related to separate litigation as Nektar pursues allegations Eli Lilly ruined prospects for a drug the companies were developing together despite Nektar's counsel saying it would "expose Lilly for being thieves, liars."

  • August 29, 2024

    GAO Suggests IRS Improve Retirement Account Oversight

    The Internal Revenue Service needs to beef up its oversight of conflicts of interest between fiduciaries and individual retirement account investors, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report.

  • August 29, 2024

    DOJ Calls Former Googler's Ad Tech Testimony 'Essential'

    The U.S. Department of Justice urged a Virginia federal judge Wednesday not to let former Google vice presidents and other company managers avoid testifying at next month's advertising technology monopolization trial, arguing their testimony is important and was properly subpoenaed.

  • August 29, 2024

    Counterclaims Cut From $12.1M Home Security Contract Suit

    The home-security arm of Pennsylvania-based builder Toll Brothers has persuaded a Connecticut state court to trim some of the counterclaims from its litigation with Security Systems Inc., successfully arguing that the buyer of nearly 10,000 customer accounts hasn't shown that damages exceed the $1.5 million "attrition reserve" the company was already holding on to.

  • August 29, 2024

    FTC Wants Kroger's Constitution Suit To Follow Merger Case

    The Federal Trade Commission is sparring with Kroger over where, and when, to handle the grocery giant's constitutional counterattack to the FTC's merger challenge, with the agency teeing up a bid to move the company's Ohio federal court suit to Oregon, where it's defending the proposed Albertsons purchase.

  • August 29, 2024

    GM Can't Shake Off Shuddering-Transmission Class

    General Motors must face class allegations that it knowingly sold vehicles with defective transmissions that cause the vehicles to shake and shudder while being driven, a Sixth Circuit panel ruled Wednesday, finding no reason to undo class certification for the drivers.

  • August 29, 2024

    Houston Law Firm Hit With 2nd Data Breach Suit

    Houston personal injury firm Fleming Nolen & Jez has been hit with another proposed class action over a February 2023 data breach that exposed clients' personal and health information.

  • August 29, 2024

    Public Interest Groups Back FCC On School Wi-Fi Funds

    A trio of advocacy groups have urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject a petition to throw out its school Wi-Fi funding plan brought by the same litigants who also are suing the FCC in the Fifth Circuit over a similar initiative for school buses.

  • August 29, 2024

    Data Breach Victims Get Initial Green Light For $1.5M Deal

    A proposed class of policyholders, employees and stakeholders has received an initial nod of approval from a federal judge in North Carolina on its $1.5 million settlement with a construction industry insurer over a 2022 data breach.

  • August 29, 2024

    T-Mobile Seeks Full 4th Circ. Look At Simply Prepaid TM Fight

    T-Mobile is asking for an en banc rehearing after a Fourth Circuit panel revived a Virginia-based cellphone company's infringement suit against it, telling the court that Simply Wireless didn't meet the correct standard of "deliberate and continuous" use of its trademarked "Simply Prepaid" branding to bar use of the phrase by other entities.

  • August 28, 2024

    Calif. Assembly OKs 1st-Of-Its-Kind AI Safety Bill

    California lawmakers on Wednesday approved a groundbreaking proposal that would set safety and security standards for large artificial intelligence models.

  • August 28, 2024

    Orrick, Okla. Atty Deny Violating MOVEit MDL Judge's Orders

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and an Oklahoma attorney have denied violating court orders in multidistrict litigation over a 2023 data breach involving Progress Software's MOVEit file transfer tool, telling a Massachusetts federal court they were allowed to settle similar state litigation against a payroll software provider outside the federal action.

  • August 28, 2024

    Feds Say Multimillion-Dollar 'Surge' Scheme Bilked Uber Riders

    New York federal prosecutors on Wednesday accused two men of leading a yearslong scheme that allowed hundreds of Uber drivers to use illicit apps, including some named Screwber and FakeGPS, to manipulate the rideshare market and gain millions of dollars from riders in fraudulent surge fees.

  • August 28, 2024

    Raymond James Hit With Suit Over 'Cash Sweep' Programs

    Financial services giant Raymond James faces a proposed class action in Florida federal court alleging its so-called cash sweep programs offer interest rates "significantly lower" than those offered by competitors, in violation of federal law.

Expert Analysis

  • How Employers, Attorneys Can Respond To Noncompete Ban

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    As the Federal Trade Commission's recently issued noncompete ban faces ongoing legal challenges, now is a good time for employers to consider whether they want to take a wait-and-see approach before halting use of noncompetes and for practitioners to gain insight into other tools available to protect their clients' business interests, says Jennifer Platzkere Snyder at Dilworth Paxson.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: May Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from automobile insurance to securities — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including circuit-specific ascertainability requirements and how to conduct a Daubert analysis prior to class certification.

  • New TSCA Risk Rule Gives EPA Broad Discretion On Science

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent final amendments to its framework for evaluating the risks of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act give it vast discretion over consideration of scientific information, without objective criteria to guide that discretion, say John McGahren and Debra Carfora at Morgan Lewis.

  • Perspectives

    Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys

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    As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.

  • CFPB's Expanding Scope Evident In Coding Bootcamp Fine

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent penalty against a for-profit coding bootcamp that misrepresented its tuition financing plans is a sign that the bureau is seeking to wield its supervisory and enforcement powers in more industries that offer consumer financing, say Jason McElroy and Brandon Sherman at Saul Ewing.

  • Fintech Compliance Amid Regulatory Focus On Sensitive Data

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent, expansive pursuit of financial services companies using sensitive personal information signals a move into the Federal Trade Commission's territory, and the path forward for fintech and financial service providers involves a balance between innovation and compliance, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.

  • 4 Arbitration Takeaways From High Court Coinbase Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's May 23 decision in Coinbase v. Suski, which provides clarity to parties faced with successive contracts containing conflicting dispute resolution provisions, has four practical impacts for contracting parties to consider, say Charles Schoenwetter and Eric Olson at Bowman and Brooke.

  • Series

    Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.

  • Lessons In High-Profile Jury Selection Amid NY Trump Trial

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    Richard Gabriel and Michelle Rey LaRocca at Decision Analysis consider how media exposure can affect a prospective juror in a high-profile case, the misunderstood nature of bias, and recommendations for jury selection in these unique situations as the Trump hush money trial continues in New York.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

  • The Effects Of New 10-Year Limitation On Key Sanctions Laws

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    Recently enacted emergency appropriations legislation, doubling the statute of limitations for civil and criminal economic sanctions violations, has significant implications for internal records retention, corporate transaction due diligence and government investigations, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • What 11th Circ. FCRA Ruling Means For Credit Furnishers

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    Credit furnishers should revisit their internal investigation and verification procedures after the Eleventh Circuit declined last month in Holden v. Holiday to impose a bright-line rule that only purely factual or transcription errors are actionable under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, say Diana Eng and Michael Esposito at Blank Rome.

  • Supply Chain Considerations For Companies Deploying AI

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    Many businesses will risk failure by embracing artificial intelligence without fully understanding the risks, and the value of a five-step AI supply chain analysis cannot be overstated, say Brooke Berg and Nathan Staffel at Nardello & Co.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • The State Of Play In DEI And ESG 1 Year After Harvard Ruling

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    Almost a year after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, attorney general scrutiny of environmental, social and governance-related efforts indicates a potential path for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to be targeted, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

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