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Consumer Protection
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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August 14, 2024
Apple Accused Of 'Privacy-Washing' Child Porn Problem
Apple Inc. has engaged in "privacy-washing" by using a purported commitment to users' privacy as an excuse to ignore its "dire" problem with child sexual abuse material being uploaded to and stored on iCloud, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.
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August 14, 2024
Amazon's Kuiper Says Satellite Framework Needed Soon
Amazon's Kuiper Systems is pushing the FCC to "take expeditious action" to wrap up new rules dealing with spectrum sharing among non-geostationary orbit fixed-satellite service operators, comments regarding which have been filing into the docket for years.
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August 14, 2024
Tuna Price-Fixing Deal Comes With A Catch: $26M In Fish
Two groups of buyers accusing major canned tuna producers of price-fixing have asked a California federal judge to give the first seal of approval to settlements totaling more than $168 million in cash, plus $26 million in packaged tuna products.
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August 14, 2024
Google-Epic Antitrust Judge Vows To 'Tear The Barriers Down'
A California federal judge appeared impatient Wednesday with Google's arguments against Epic Games' proposed changes to the Google Play Store in the wake of Epic's antitrust jury win, saying the world created by its "monopolist conduct" is changing, and vowing "to tear the barriers down."
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August 14, 2024
DOJ Defends Boeing Plea Deal Over Families' Objections
The U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday that Boeing's plea agreement is the best possible criminal resolution that holds the company accountable for defrauding regulators about the 737 Max 8's development, rejecting claims from crash victims' families that the "morally reprehensible" deal lets Boeing skirt culpability.
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August 14, 2024
Amazon Hit With $1.2M Suit Over Immersion Heater
Amazon is facing a lawsuit from a Colorado church's insurer alleging that the church suffered more than $1.2 million in damages after a fire caused by a 1500-watt immersion heater it bought off the e-commerce giant's platform that was being used to heat a baptismal font.
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August 14, 2024
4th Circ. Says Credit Card 'Offset' Ban Applies To HELOCs
Creditors are prohibited from withdrawing funds from a cardholder's deposit account to cover outstanding payments on a home equity line of credit without the borrower's consent, a divided Fourth Circuit panel ruled Wednesday.
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August 14, 2024
CFPB Probe Draws Bead On Sporting Goods BNPL Firm
Credova, a fintech firm that specializes in buy-now, pay-later loans and other financing options for firearms and outdoor recreational goods purchases, is facing scrutiny from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a potential enforcement action, its parent company said Wednesday.
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August 14, 2024
4 States Oppose FTC Bid To Block Kroger-Albertsons Deal
Four Republican-led states defended Kroger's proposed $25 billion acquisition of Albertsons in an amicus brief Wednesday, telling the Oregon federal judge overseeing the Federal Trade Commission's challenge to the deal that blocking it would actually "weaken, not protect, competition."
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August 14, 2024
House Republican Files Bill To Fix 'Rip And Replace' Shortfall
A Texas Republican has introduced U.S. House legislation to fill the shortfall in the "rip and replace" program to reimburse telecoms for ridding their networks of Chinese-made components, to the tune of $3.08 billion.
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August 14, 2024
NY Judge Tosses Noise Suit Against Queens Tennis Club
A New York state judge on Tuesday dismissed a Queens nonprofit's nuisance suit against The West Side Tennis Club, which was accused of being responsible for excessive noise coming from concerts held at its century-old outdoor stadium in the borough's Forest Hills neighborhood.
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August 14, 2024
Texas AG Threatens Suit Over Dallas State Fair's Firearms Ban
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to sue the city of Dallas if it doesn't reverse a policy prohibiting state fair patrons from bringing firearms into the fairgrounds.
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August 14, 2024
FTC Finalizes Rule To Crack Down On Fake Online Reviews
The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday announced it has finalized a rule to thwart marketers from using false reviews and testimonials, cementing the agency's authority to seek civil penalties from knowing violators for a host of misconduct including the use of AI-generated fake reviews.
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August 14, 2024
Philly Art School Hit With Students' Suit Over Abrupt Closure
Two former students at the University of the Arts claimed the school's sudden shutdown in June was without proper heads-up or guidance, according to a potential class action in Pennsylvania federal court.
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August 14, 2024
Insurer Fights $29M Judgment Over Fatal Crash Coverage
An insurer urged a North Carolina state appeals court Wednesday to undo a nearly $29 million judgment in a lawsuit stemming from a claim for a fatal vehicle crash, citing a policy exclusion that barred coverage for injuries to fellow employees.
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August 14, 2024
Fraternity Says Lehigh Univ. Hazing Suit Lacks Conn. Ties
The national parent organization for a fraternity accused of hazing a Connecticut man when he joined a chapter in Pennsylvania says a Connecticut federal court should throw out the suit or transfer it to Pennsylvania.
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August 14, 2024
Wyoming Hemp Cos. Bring Challenge To 10th Circ.
After a Wyoming federal judge declined to block enforcement of a newly enacted law regulating hemp-derived intoxicating products in the state, the businesses that brought the challenge said on Wednesday they would appeal the matter to the Tenth Circuit.
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August 14, 2024
CPSC Foes Widen Assault On New Deal-Era Precedent
A maker of child care products is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the constitutionality of protections barring the president from firing U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission members without good cause, telling the justices that the powerful agency doesn't fit the narrow exceptions to the White House's otherwise unrestricted removal authority.
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August 14, 2024
DoorDash Contract Can't Shield ID Service From BIPA Claims
Identity verification service Persona Identities Inc. shouldn't have been allowed to rely on DoorDash's contract with two drivers to redirect their biometric privacy claims from court to arbitration, an Illinois appellate panel has ruled.
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August 14, 2024
Streaming Cos. Ask FCC To Gauge Fixed Broadband Market
Video streamers and other edge providers hope to make one thing clear as the Federal Communications Commission dissects competition in the high-speed internet space — the fixed broadband service market is still dominated by a few heavyweights and more should be done to assess how the addition of new competitors affects individual markets.
Expert Analysis
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Considerations When Using Publicly Available Data To Train AI
To maximize the benefits and mitigate the risks of using publicly available data to train artificial intelligence models, companies should maintain a balance between openness and protection, and consider certain best practices, says Michael Cole at Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America.
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Del. Dispatch: Director Caremark Claims Need Extreme Facts
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently dismissed Caremark claims against the directors of Centene in Bricklayers Pension Fund of Western Pennsylvania v. Brinkley, indicating a high bar for a finding of the required element of bad faith for Caremark liability, and stressing the need to resist hindsight bias, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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Illinois BIPA Reform Offers Welcome Relief To Businesses
Illinois' recent amendment to its Biometric Information Privacy Act limits the number of violations and damages a plaintiff can claim — a crucial step in shielding businesses from unintended legal consequences, including litigation risk and compliance costs, say attorneys at Taft.
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Gilead Drug Ruling Creates Corporate Governance Dilemma
If upheld, a California state appellate court's decision — finding that Gilead is liable for delaying commercialization of a safer HIV drug to maximize profits on another drug — threatens to undermine long-standing rules of corporate law and exposes companies to liability for decisions based on sound business judgment, says Shireen Barday at Pallas.
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Class Action Law Makes An LLC A 'Jurisdictional Platypus'
The applicability of Section 1332(d)(10) of the Class Action Fairness Act is still widely misunderstood — and given the ambiguous nature of limited liability companies, the law will likely continue to confound courts and litigants — so parties should be prepared for a range of outcomes, says Andrew Gunem at Strauss Borrelli.
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Unpacking The Latest FTC Guidance On Multilevel Marketing
Branko Jovanovic and Monica Zhong at Edgeworth Economics discuss the Federal Trade Commission's recent advice for multilevel marketers on how MLMs should approach their income and earnings reports, including participants costs, typical proceeds and distributor gains.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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Attorneys Can Benefit From Reverse-Engineering Their Cases
Trial advocacy programs often teach lawyers to loosely track the progression of a lawsuit during preparation — case analysis, then direct examination, then cross-examination, openings and closings — but reverse-engineering cases by working backward from opening and closing statements can streamline the process and also improve case strategy, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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How Justices' E-Rate Decision May Affect Scope Of FCA
The U.S. Supreme Court’s eventual decision in Wisconsin Bell v. U.S., determining whether reimbursements paid by the E-rate program are "claims" under the False Claims Act, may affect other federal programs that do not require payments to be made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, says David Colapinto at Kohn Kohn.
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How Courts' Differing Views On Standing Affect PFAS Claims
Two recent opinions from New York federal courts — in Lurenz v. Coca-Cola, and Winans v. Ornua Foods North America — illustrate how pivotal the differing views on standing held by different courts will be for product liability litigation involving per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, particularly consumer claims, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.