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Consumer Protection
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January 28, 2025
FCC Scraps Reg Plan For Cell Tower Enviro Reviews
The Federal Communications Commission's new Republican chief said Tuesday the agency was dropping a plan launched during the Biden administration to more rigorously vet cell tower building projects for environmental impacts.
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January 28, 2025
'Extraordinary' $630M CDK Deal Wraps Auto Dealer Data MDL
A certified class of car dealership app makers is seeking preliminary approval for the final settlement in the years-old web of cases accusing CDK Global of monopolizing auto dealership management software, with a $630 million Wisconsin federal court deal that puts a $140 million premium on estimated damages.
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January 28, 2025
SoCal Edison Faces More Suits Over Eaton Blaze
At least two more lawsuits were filed in California state court against Southern California Edison, alleging the investor-owned public utility is responsible for sparking the devastating Eaton Fire that began Jan. 7 and destroyed most of Altadena, California, killing at least 17 people.
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January 28, 2025
Silk Road Pardon Sparks Hope For More Crypto Clemency
President Donald Trump's decision to free the convicted Silk Road operator Ross Ulbricht brought praise from crypto advocates and spurred some to seek the ear of the new administration in hopes that the president will pardon other alleged crypto criminals, too.
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January 28, 2025
Pot Co. Faces New THC Potency Class Action In Illinois
A pair of Illinois men on Tuesday filed a new class action alleging a family of cannabis companies is selling products that exceed the state's limits on THC, joining a number of similar suits filed in the same district by the same attorneys.
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January 28, 2025
Prison Phone Providers Urge 1st Circ. To Back FCC Rate Suit
Prison telephone companies are asking the First Circuit to either move their challenge to new Federal Communications Commission prison payphone rate caps to the conservative Fifth Circuit or toss the limits themselves, saying the caps violate a congressional provision that the companies be "fairly compensated" for service in detention facilities.
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January 28, 2025
Apple Can't Defend Google Revenue Deal In DOJ Search Case
A D.C. federal judge has refused to let Apple intervene to defend the billions it gets from Google to keep the search giant as the default for Safari browser, holding the iPhone maker waited too long to intervene in the Justice Department's monopolization lawsuit, and the company's involvement now would be too disruptive.
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January 28, 2025
NJ Targets MTA's Changes In Revised Congestion-Pricing Suit
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy plans to target New York City's public transit agency and the altered toll amounts in the state's renewed legal challenge to congestion pricing, according to a proposed amended complaint.
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January 28, 2025
Pa. Bank Regulator Claims Co. Hid Affiliation, Misused Privilege
A Texas debt-settlement company should be sanctioned for failing to disclose its alleged affiliation with another debt consolidator and for invoking attorney-client privilege when pressed about how its general counsel complied with a subpoena, Pennsylvania's banking regulator told a state court Tuesday.
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January 28, 2025
Vivint 'Kicking Dead Horse' In $190M TM Suit, 4th Circ. Hints
Smart home software company Vivint faced an uphill battle Tuesday trying to convince the Fourth Circuit to dismantle a nearly $190 million verdict for allegedly tricking its rival's customers into switching providers, with one judge saying Vivint's claims that the lower court misapplied state consumer protection law are fruitless.
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January 28, 2025
Connecticut Bank Customer Drops Overdraft Class Claims
Connecticut's Fairfield County Bank has dodged a proposed class action accusing it of unlawfully charging fees on "authorize positive, settle negative" transactions, court records show.
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January 28, 2025
Former FAA Chief Counsel Joins DLA Piper
The Federal Aviation Administration's former chief counsel Marc Nichols has joined DLA Piper in Washington, D.C., as partner and co-chair of its transportation practice, the firm announced Tuesday.
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January 27, 2025
5th Circ. Wipes Out FTC Rule Targeting Auto Industry Scams
A split Fifth Circuit panel on Monday vacated the Federal Trade Commission's Combating Auto Retail Scams, or CARS, rule prohibiting bait-and-switch tactics and hidden charges in the car buying and leasing process, siding with car dealers and finding that the FTC didn't give adequate notice of the proposed rulemaking.
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January 27, 2025
CFPB's Chopra Sees Room For Rules To Stem Debanking
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra on Monday voiced support for regulatory action to address concerns about banks unfairly closing accounts, saying more transparency and "bright-line" limits may be needed to combat so-called debanking.
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January 27, 2025
Lummis Tells 2nd Circ. SEC 'Flouts' Congress In Crypto Cases
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R.-Wyo., told the Second Circuit that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's ongoing suit against Coinbase Inc. has complicated congressional efforts to set rules for digital assets, filing her support for the crypto exchange's bid for a quick ruling from the appeals court on how securities laws apply to the transactions on its platform.
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January 27, 2025
States Back In Spotlight As Feds Exit Net Neutrality Debate
The Sixth Circuit might have recently hammered the last nail into the coffin of federal net neutrality rules, but states are poised to fill the void — just as some did when the last Trump administration tanked a previous broadband regulatory regime.
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January 27, 2025
CFPB Says Acima Can't Use 'Lease' Label To Exit Suit
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau urged a Utah federal court to not dismiss its predatory lending suit against Acima Leasing, arguing the fintech company and Rent-A-Center affiliate can't hide offering functional credit products by calling them rental purchases.
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January 27, 2025
UnitedHealth Raises Cyberattack Estimate To 190M Individuals
A debilitating cyberattack last year that sabotaged vital billing and prescribing services operated by a UnitedHealth Group unit affected personal information belonging to roughly 190 million individuals, the health insurer disclosed Friday, nearly doubling its previous estimate of the scope of the incident.
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January 27, 2025
4th Circ. Says Servicemembers Law Doesn't Bar Arbitration
The Fourth Circuit ruled Monday that the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a federal law that grants financial protections to members of the U.S. armed forces, does not override mandatary arbitration agreements in lenders' contracts with military borrowers.
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January 27, 2025
Cruz Files Bill To Repeal FCC's Student Wi-Fi Plan
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has filed a bill to prevent the Federal Communications Commission from carrying out a Democratic plan to fund Wi-Fi for students off campus.
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January 27, 2025
FCC No Longer Mulling Broadband Bulk Billing Restrictions
With the Federal Communications Commission now under Republican leadership, the agency has decided to pull its plan to restrict bulk billing for broadband services from the FCC's regulatory agenda.
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January 27, 2025
Judge Refuses To Stop Amazon Data Suit In Ill. State Court
A Delaware federal judge refused on Monday to block a lawsuit in Illinois state court accusing Amazon Web Services of illegally collecting voice data, saying the Illinois privacy case involves different claims and parties than the federal case, which was dismissed because some plaintiffs lacked standing.
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January 27, 2025
3rd Circ. Says Class Cert. Won't Work In Junk Fax Suit
Since Fox Rehabilitation Services used "highly individualized methods" to seek consent from the entities it sent faxes to, it would be too difficult for a lawsuit accusing the company of sending unsolicited ads to proceed as a class action, a split Third Circuit panel has ruled.
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January 27, 2025
Gerber, Nestle Sued Over Claims Of Metal In Baby Food
A mother has filed suit against baby food manufacturers, including Gerber Products Co., Beech-Nut Nutrition Co. and Walmart Inc., claiming her child developed autism after consuming their products, which were tainted with heavy metals, and she is seeking to join the larger multidistrict litigation.
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January 27, 2025
DC, Council Aim To Stop Block On Pot Shop Closures
The D.C. Council and other city government agencies are urging the D.C. federal court to deny bids from cannabis retailers for injunctions to block enforcement of city cannabis regulations that has resulted in closures of some of the plaintiff stores.
Expert Analysis
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Inside FTC's Decision To Exit Key Merger Review Labor Memo
Despite the Federal Trade Commission's recent withdrawal from a multiagency memorandum of understanding to step up enforcement of labor issues in merger investigations, the antitrust agencies aren't likely to give up their labor market focus, say attorneys at Stinson.
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FDIC Guidance Puts Next-Gen ATMs In Regulatory Spotlight
The boring existence of ATMs is changing thanks to the emergence of new-age interactive teller machines, prompting the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to sound off in a potentially influential August letter to branches on which services might need regulatory approval, says Thomas Walker at Jones Walker.
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7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight
Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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Series
Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.
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Understanding New ACH Network Anti-Fraud Rules
Many of the National Automated Clearing House Association’s recent amendments to ACH network risk management rules went into effect this month, so financial institutions and corporations must review and update their internal policies as needed, says Aisha Hall at Taft.
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6 Tips For Cos. Facing Service Provider Cyber Incidents
When a third-party service provider experiences a cybersecurity incident, businesses may wonder if their information is compromised and if their systems are safe, but there are certain steps that can help businesses prepare for and respond to targeted attacks on vendors, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Unpacking State AG Approaches To Digital Asset Enforcement
Attorneys at Cozen O'Connor survey recent digital asset enforcement by attorneys general nationwide driven by concerns over regulatory gaps where technological developments and market changes have outpaced legislation.
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Opinion
Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits
With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.
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How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.
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Series
Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.
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CFPB School Lunch Focus Could Expand E-Payment Scrutiny
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent spotlight on payment processing systems used to add funds to school lunch accounts shows its continued ambitions to further expand its supervisory power in the payments industry, all the way down to the school lunch market, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.
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Opinion
Rental Price-Fixing Suit Against RealPage Doesn't Add Up
Recent government antitrust litigation against RealPage, alleging that the software company's algorithm for setting rental prices amounts to price-fixing, has failed to allege an actual conspiracy, and is an example of regulatory overreach that should be reined in, says Andrew Ketterer at Ketterer & Ketterer.
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Compliance Pointers For Amended Pa. Data Breach Law
Recent updates to the Pennsylvania Breach of Personal Information Notification Act include a requirement that organizations alert the state's attorney general of certain consumer data breach notifications, and several incident response and cybersecurity considerations will be necessary to ensure compliance, say Matthew Meade and Laura Decker at Eckert Seamans.
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Opinion
FDIC's Foray Into Index Fund Rules Risks Regulatory Chaos
A proposed Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. rule concerning control over passive index fund investments in banks is outside the agency's remit, clashes with an existing Federal Reserve process and would inhibit competition in the index fund sector, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University.
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Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.