Consumer Protection

  • July 25, 2025

    Coinbase Accuses German Of Illegally Squatting On URL

    A German man is wrongfully using an online URL to pose as the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and leveraging his ownership to get the company to buy the domain name at a high price, a new lawsuit in California federal court has alleged.

  • July 25, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Disturb Class Cert. In 'Oil-Free' J&J Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday backed class certification in a suit alleging Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. misled consumers by advertising its Neutrogena face washes are "oil-free," rejecting its argument that the class's expert's damage calculation was faulty and underdeveloped.

  • July 25, 2025

    Univision To Pay $300K To Resolve FCC's Kid TV Ad Case

    Univision has agreed to a "voluntary contribution" of $300,000 to the U.S. Treasury to settle the Federal Communications Commission's investigations into the Spanish language network's compliance with rules limiting the amount of commercials that can be aired during children's TV programming.

  • July 25, 2025

    Nordstrom Tobacco Health Fee Violates ERISA, Ex-Staff Say

    Three ex-workers for Nordstrom Inc. hit the retailer with a proposed class action in Washington federal court, alleging a $40-a-month surcharge on the health plans of tobacco-using employees was discriminatory in violation of federal benefits law.

  • July 25, 2025

    Hospital Giant To Pay $3.5M Over Nurse Training Repayments

    HCA Healthcare Inc., a major U.S. hospital operator, has agreed to pay roughly $3.5 million to settle claims that it unlawfully trapped new nurses in agreements requiring them to repay training costs if they left their jobs within two years, according to a trio of state attorneys general.

  • July 25, 2025

    District Court Won't Pause Block Of FTC Dem's Firing

    A D.C. federal court refused to stay its order reinstating a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission after finding she was illegally fired by the Trump administration, although the D.C. Circuit has already put the order on hold.

  • July 25, 2025

    Big Tech's Refusal-To-Deal Defense Hits A Wall: Judges

    Apple couldn't do it. Google couldn't do it. Live Nation couldn't do it. CoStar couldn't do it at the Ninth Circuit. Companies accused of monopolization have continually tried to flip allegations of illegally locking in customers into hard-to-prove "refusal-to-deal" litigation.

  • July 25, 2025

    What To Watch As Attys Brace For 401(k) Private Equity Order

    Benefits and asset management attorneys are anticipating an executive order from President Donald Trump aimed at expanding access to private equity investments in 401(k) plans, a potential move that's stoking excitement about added investment options and concerns about legal risks. Here are four things on experts' minds as they wait to see if the order materializes.

  • July 25, 2025

    Will Tom Girardi's Wardrobe Mishap Help His Appeal?

    When legendary attorney Tom Girardi's pants fell down as he finished testifying in his defense, the judge had to decide: Was this a desperate bid to feign incompetence and avoid prison for stealing client funds, or just an accident by an 86-year-old man with dementia? And if it really was an accident, does it now give Girardi a shot at winning his appeal and overturning his sentence?

  • July 25, 2025

    Judge Rejects FTC Comments In Amazon Defense

    A Washington federal judge rejected Amazon's bid to use the Federal Trade Commission's own statements against it in the agency's suit over allegedly deceptive "dark patterns" preventing consumers from unsubscribing from Amazon Prime, saying the e-commerce giant misrepresented the commission's old comments.

  • July 25, 2025

    Crypto Group Appoints Ex-Legal Chief, Willkie Alum As CEO

    A Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP alum will become the Crypto Council for Innovation's permanent leader after serving as acting CEO since December and previously serving as chief legal and policy officer.

  • July 25, 2025

    Iowa Urges 8th Circ. To Undo Block On E-Cig Law

    Iowa's Department of Revenue is urging the Eighth Circuit to overturn a lower judge's ruling that blocked enforcement of a new state law that would have restricted the sale of some e-cigarettes in the Hawkeye State.

  • July 24, 2025

    FCC Signs Off On Skydance's $8B Acquisition Of Paramount

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday gave the green light to Skydance Media's controversial $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global and its subsidiaries, including CBS' parent company, setting aside concerns that the deal will hurt competition.

  • July 24, 2025

    Tyson's $55M Delaware Win Won't Aid Ga. Suit, Rival Says

    Poultry rendering company American Proteins Inc. told a Georgia federal judge Wednesday that a Delaware court's award of $55 million to Tyson Foods for overpaying to acquire the company has no bearing on their antitrust suit over whether Tyson forced the buyout through strong-arm tactics.

  • July 24, 2025

    'May The Flow Be With You': Meta Team Made Menstrual Jokes

    A Meta legal vice president defending the company in a California federal trial over allegations it illegally gathers users' data from menstrual-tracking app Flo acknowledged Thursday that members of Meta's communications team made "inappropriate" menstruation-related jokes while discussing the issue, with one employee telling another: "May the flow be with you."

  • July 24, 2025

    NJ Atty To Pay SEC Fine Over Alleged Prime Bank Fraud Role

    A New Jersey attorney and a California man will pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission a total of $134,000 as part of agreements to resolve the regulator's allegations they helped bilk an older couple out of over $150,000 through a so-called prime bank scheme. 

  • July 24, 2025

    7th Circ. Erases Class Cert. Over Progressive's Car Valuation

    The Seventh Circuit on Thursday reversed a policyholder's class certification win against Progressive Insurance over certain adjustments the insurer makes when calculating a totaled vehicle's actual cash value, finding that whether Progressive paid insureds the proper amount is a primarily individualized inquiry.

  • July 24, 2025

    Logan Paul's Bid In CryptoZoo Suit Not Yet Ripe, Judge Says

    Media personality Logan Paul shouldn't be able to pin the collapse of his CryptoZoo project on the "empty chairs" of his co-founders for the time being, a Texas magistrate judge has counseled.

  • July 24, 2025

    Wash. AG Sues Contractor To Keep Benefits Data From Feds

    Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown launched a lawsuit in Evergreen State court on Thursday seeking to block a fintech contractor from providing the federal government with the private details of food assistance benefit recipients, saying the Trump administration intends to use the data for its "mass deportation project."

  • July 24, 2025

    More Sinclair Stations Reach Consent Decrees On Kid TV Ads

    Broadcasters in three states reached consent decrees with the Federal Communications Commission following a wider enforcement action against Sinclair Broadcast Group over Hot Wheels commercials aired during a children's Hot Wheels program in violation of FCC rules.

  • July 24, 2025

    Roblox Wants To Escape Suit Alleging It Tracked Kids' Data

    A lawsuit accusing Roblox of harvesting users' personal data despite knowing many of them are under the age of 13 is an attempt to distort and weaponize privacy statutes, the online gaming platform has told a California federal judge in a bid to have the case dismissed.

  • July 24, 2025

    Commission Inflation Suit Spurs COVID Tolling Query In Conn.

    A Connecticut judge on Thursday questioned a real estate firm's argument that two antitrust suit plaintiffs misused a COVID-era executive order to enter the case after the statute of limitations would have expired, indicating she was concerned about the broad impact her ruling might have if she found the pandemic-era tolling unconstitutional.

  • July 24, 2025

    FCC Sheds Rules For Older Tech As Axing Other Regs Proceed

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday jettisoned some older rules applying to technologies that have fallen out of general use and asserted the power to wield an expedited procedure in the future to get rid of other rules it deems outdated.

  • July 24, 2025

    Sun Pharma Settles Consumer Price Fixing Case For $200M

    Sun Pharmaceuticals has agreed to a $200 million settlement with a class of consumers who claim that the company joined other generics makers in fixing drug prices.

  • July 24, 2025

    Magistrate Says DR Horton Refused To Hear Accessibility Ask

    A magistrate judge in Texas federal court endorsed claims that homebuilder D.R. Horton refused to consider adding accessibility features to single-family houses under construction, while finding another claim brought by three plaintiffs and a fair housing group is reserved only for multifamily properties.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    In the second quarter of the year, New York utilized every available tool to fill gaps left by federal retrenchment from consumer finance issues, including sweeping updates to its consumer protection framework and notable amendments to cybersecurity rules, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • State, Fed Junk Fee Enforcement Shows No Signs Of Slowing

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    The Federal Trade Commission’s potent new rule targeting drip pricing, in addition to the growing patchwork of state consumer protection laws, suggest that enforcement and litigation targeting junk fees will likely continue to expand, says Etia Rottman Frand at Darrow AI.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • New Laws Show How States Are Checking AI Developers

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    Recent state consumer protection legislation shows Utah, Colorado and Texas are primed to impose controls on artificial intelligence, and exemplifies the states' unwillingness to accord strong deference to developers and deployers of AI tools, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • What Expanding Merchant Code Regs Mean For Processors

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    Arkansas and South Dakota recently joined a host of other states that restrict payment processors' usage of merchant category codes with laws that include noteworthy prohibitions against maintaining registries of firearms owners, with ramifications for multistate payment systems, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Latest Influencer Marketing Class Actions Pinpoint 5 Themes

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    Several recent deceptive marketing class actions against both brands and influencers attempt to transform arguably routine business practices into a new focus area for consumer complaints, suggesting a coordinated approach to test what could become an increasingly popular area of litigation, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Dupes Boom Spurs IP Risks, Opportunities For Investors

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    The rising popularity of dupe products has created a dynamic marketplace where both dupes-based businesses and established branded companies can thrive, but investors must consider a host of legal implications, especially when the dupes straddle a fine line between imitation and intellectual property infringement, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Canadian Suit Offers Disclosure Lesson For US Cannabis Cos.

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    A Canadian class action asserting that Aurora Cannabis failed to warn consumers about the risk of developing cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome may spawn copycat filings in the U.S., and is a cautionary tale for cannabis and hemp industries to prioritize risk disclosure, says Ian Stewart at Wilson Elser.

  • A Look At Trump Admin's Shifting Strategies To Curtail CFPB

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    The Trump administration has so far carried out its goal of minimizing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's authority and footprint via an individualized approach comprising rule rollbacks, litigation moves and administrative tools, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Evading DOJ Crosshairs As Data Security Open Season Starts

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    As the U.S. Department of Justice begins enforcing its new data security program — aimed at preventing foreign adversaries from accessing government-related and personal sensitive data — U.S. companies will need to understand the program’s contours and potential pitfalls to avoid potential civil liability or criminal scrutiny, say attorneys at Cohen & Gresser.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • A Look At DOJ's Dropped Case Against Early Crypto Operator

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    The prosecution of an early crypto exchange operator over alleged unlicensed money transmission was recently dropped in Indiana federal court, showcasing that the U.S. Justice Department may be limiting the types of enforcement cases it will bring against digital asset firms, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • 4 Consumer Class Action Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    The first half of 2025 has seen a surge of consumer class action trends related to online tools, websites and marketing messages, creating a new legal risk landscape for companies of all sizes, says Scott Shaffer at Olshan Frome.

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