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Consumer Protection
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July 17, 2024
Whirlpool Wants To Wash Away Service Plan Repair Claims
Whirlpool asked a Washington federal judge to send a proposed consumer class action down the drain, saying the aggrieved customer can't claim she was deceived about the details of an extended repair plan for a dishwasher when the full terms have always been easy to find online.
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July 17, 2024
Firm Can't Dodge Veteran's Class Claims Over Fees
A North Carolina federal judge has refused to throw out a proposed class action alleging that a consulting firm charged veterans millions in illegal fees, saying the suit needs more litigation before a dismissal is considered.
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July 17, 2024
Jimmy John's Biometric Info Suit 'Barely' Avoids Dismissal
An Illinois federal judge refused Wednesday to toss a putative class action alleging Jimmy John's LLC unlawfully records customers via technology embedded in drive-through intercoms in violation of the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act, but he remarked on the "thinness" of the allegations and said the complaint "barely" survives.
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July 17, 2024
Pharma Co. Slams Magistrate's Venue Report In Opioid Suit
A pharmaceuticals distributor is objecting to an Oklahoma federal magistrate judge's recent recommendation to deny as moot the company's bid to dismiss a Cherokee Nation suit accusing it of flooding tribal communities with opioids, saying the case shouldn't be sent to state court.
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July 17, 2024
Ill. Judge Signals Issue With Chicken Consumers' Expert
An Illinois federal judge signaled Wednesday that he was unlikely to allow chicken end users' economics expert to testify about damages they suffered in an alleged price-fixing conspiracy if the expert cannot focus his opinion on just the conduct allowed to be heard at trial.
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July 17, 2024
9th Circ. Scrubs Dismissal In Plant-Based Huggies Wipes Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday partially reinstated a suit alleging that Kimberly Clark Corp.'s baby wipes mislead consumers into thinking they're made entirely from plant products, saying the district court wrongly considered the back label when dismissing claims regarding certain products.
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July 17, 2024
Keep Consumer Protection Suit Against Bill Pay Co., FTC Says
Seattle-based online bill pay platform Doxo Inc. shouldn't be allowed to escape the Federal Trade Commission's claims that Doxo tricked consumers into using its services, the FTC has argued in a brief calling the company's dismissal bid a "jumble of arguments."
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July 17, 2024
CFTC Says Its Sanctions Spat Not Relevant To Gemini Case
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has pushed back against Gemini Trust Co.'s efforts to paint the regulator's defense of misconduct claims in one case as contradictory to its arguments in its enforcement action against the Winklevoss-owned crypto exchange, telling a federal court that the two matters have "no legal or factual bearing" on each other.
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July 17, 2024
Drivers' Transmission Complaints Are 'Old News,' GM Says
Drivers waited too long to file a proposed class action accusing General Motors LLC of selling vehicles with faulty transmissions, the automaker said in a motion Tuesday arguing that many of the claims must be dismissed.
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July 17, 2024
Hospital Trims Its Insulin Pen Claims Against Novo Nordisk
A Connecticut hospital and Novo Nordisk Inc. have agreed to dismiss several of the pharmaceutical giant's corporate entities from a suit seeking to make the company pay for the hospital's $1 million settlement from an underlying patient class action over allegedly defective insulin pens the firm made.
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July 17, 2024
Settlement Talks Stall In NC Driver Suit Over Crash Data
A North Carolina woman and the city of Charlotte failed to reach a deal outside of court that would end her proposed class action accusing the city of violating privacy laws by making car accident reports public, according to a newly filed mediator's report.
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July 17, 2024
Grayscale Rival's False Ad Suit Won't Move To New Court
A Connecticut state judge on Wednesday denied Grayscale Investments LLC's request to transfer a competitor's unfair trade practices lawsuit from Bridgeport to the state court system's complex litigation docket, sustaining the plaintiff's objection that said the move would unduly delay a July 2025 trial without a valid reason.
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July 17, 2024
Feds Uphold Tech Co.'s Fine For Auction Talks With AT&T
The Federal Communications Commission upheld its $100,000 fine against internet service provider AMG Technology Investment Group for discussing bidding strategy during an infrastructure funding auction with AT&T, saying it has no basis to reconsider the penalty Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
Target Hit With Suit After Texas Infant Died In Baby Lounger
Target and the makers of an infant lounger have been hit with a product liability lawsuit from a Texas couple who allege their 7-month-old daughter died after falling out of the device.
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July 17, 2024
FCC To Vote On New Emergency Code For Missing Persons
The Federal Communications Commission announced Tuesday that it plans to vote Aug. 7 on new rules for radio and TV broadcasters to add a code for missing adults to the emergency alert system.
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July 17, 2024
Burr & Forman Accused Of Aiding Health Insurance Fraud
Burr & Forman LLP has been hit with a malpractice suit in Georgia federal court by the liquidating trustees of two purported health insurance companies after the firm allegedly aided in a scheme to defraud customers by charging exorbitant fees and denying promised coverage, saying the attorneys helped create a web of LLCs to which it siphoned off millions.
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July 17, 2024
'Curious' CFPB Agenda Item Sparks Buzz Over Contract Rules
A mystery item tucked into the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's latest regulatory agenda is fueling speculation among attorneys that the agency may soon try to clamp down on some terms and conditions included in lenders' contractual agreements with consumer borrowers.
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July 17, 2024
Insurer Says No Coverage For Payment Software Sale Dispute
A management liability insurer told an Illinois federal court that it had no duty to defend sellers accused of fraud and other misdeeds as part of the sale of a payment processing company.
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July 17, 2024
SeaWorld Says Dad Ousted From Bias Case Contradicts Attys
Counsel for parents and children alleging that costumed performers at SeaWorld-owned theme park Sesame Place snubbed them booted a dad from the case as a way to buy time for more preparation, contradicting his lawyers' claims that he was forced from the case for making a deliberately incorrect deposition statement, the park's corporate owner alleged in a new court filing.
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July 17, 2024
New Mexico Adds Superfund Claims To PFAS Suit Against US
New Mexico is expanding its lawsuit against the federal government over costs related to cleaning up forever chemicals near military sites by utilizing a new rule listing the substances as hazardous under the Superfund law.
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July 17, 2024
Judge Cautiously OKs $1.5M Georgetown Tuition Refund Deal
A $1.5 million settlement resolving class action claims over Georgetown University's move to remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic scored initial approval, but a D.C. federal judge said he has concerns about the limited payout class members will receive after accounting for attorney fees.
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July 17, 2024
Robinhood's $9M Promo Text Suit Settlement Gets Final Nod
A Washington federal judge has awarded $2.2 million in attorney fees and granted final approval to a $9 million settlement resolving claims that stock-trading app Robinhood's referral program caused nonusers to receive unsolicited promotional texts, in violation of Evergreen State law.
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July 16, 2024
Gilead Asks Calif. Supreme Court To Ax 'Disastrous' Decision
Gilead Sciences on Monday urged the California Supreme Court to overturn an appellate panel's decision that the company can't ditch claims it held back a safer HIV drug to maximize profits on an older medication, saying that holding manufacturers liable for non-defective products would "yield disastrous policy consequences."
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July 16, 2024
Apple's Slowed IPhone Derivative Deal OK'd After Tweaks
A California federal judge said Tuesday she would approve Apple's non-monetary settlement to resolve a derivative-shareholder suit over claims it secretly slowed iPhones and award counsel $6 million in attorney fees and expenses, after she rejected an earlier version of the deal because of the proposal's overbroad release of claims.
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July 16, 2024
FTC's In-House Kroger Case Delayed Until After Fed Suit
Kroger and Albertsons are getting a limited respite from the Federal Trade Commission's looming in-house merger challenge after an agency administrative law judge agreed to delay the case, but only until immediately after an Oregon federal court fight plays out.
Expert Analysis
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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Calif. Web Tracking Cases Show Courts' Indecision Over CIPA
Several hundred cases filed to date, and two recent conflicting rulings, underscore California courts' uncertainty over whether the use of web analytics tools to track users' website interactions can give rise to a violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, says Patricia Brum at Snell & Wilmer.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Takeaways From SEC's New Data Breach Amendments
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent amendment of its consumer privacy rules to require investment advisers and broker-dealers to put procedures in place to uncover data breaches and report them to customers evidences that protecting client records and information remains an SEC priority, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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What Junk Fee Law Means For Biz In California And Beyond
Come July 1, companies doing business in California must ensure that the price of any good or service as offered, displayed or advertised is inclusive of all mandatory fees and other charges in compliance with S.B. 478, which may have a far-reaching impact across the country due to wide applicability, say Alexandria Ruiz and Amy Lally at Sidley Austin.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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A Look At M&A Conditions After FTC's Exxon-Pioneer Nod
The Federal Trade Commission's recent consent decree imposing several conditions on Exxon Mobil's acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources helps illustrate key points about the current merger enforcement environment, including the probability of further investigations in the energy and pharmaceutical sectors, say Ryan Quillian and John Kendrick at Covington.
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'Food As Health' Serves Up Fresh Legal Considerations
The growth of food as medicine presents a significant opportunity for healthcare organizations and nontraditional healthcare players to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs, though these innovative programs also bring compliance considerations that must be carefully navigated, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Aviation Watch: Mostly Smooth Landing For New FAA Law
The recently signed Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act enhances air safety in several key ways, including strengthened passenger rights and cockpit voice recorder requirements, but an expansion of slot exemptions at Reagan National Airport is a notable misstep, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.
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Series
In The CFPB Playbook: Regulatory Aims Get High Court Assist
Newly emboldened after the U.S. Supreme Court last month found that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding is constitutional, the bureau has likely experienced a psychic boost, allowing its already robust enforcement agenda to continue expanding, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
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FTC Theories Of Harm After Anesthesia Co. Ruling
As Federal Trade Commission litigation against U.S. Anesthesia Partners proceeds following a Texas federal court's recent decision to dismiss a private equity sponsor from the suit, the case attempts to incorporate and advance some of the commission's theories of competitive harm from the final 2023 Merger Guidelines, say attorneys at Mintz.
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FTC Hearing On Fake Review Rule Stressed Compliance Costs
The Federal Trade Commission is likely to finalize its proposed rule to prohibit marketers from using deceptive practices in their product reviews after an informal hearing covered arguments over whether costs of implementing the rule, such as review moderation and software maintenance, would be minimal, says Jeffrey Edelstein at Manatt.
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FTC Focus: Exploring The Meaning Of Orange Book Letters
The Federal Trade Commission recently announced an expansion of its campaign to promote competition by targeting pharmaceutical manufacturers' improper Orange Book patent listings, but there is a question of whether and how this helps generic entrants, say Colin Kass and David Munkittrick at Proskauer.
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3 Recent Decisions To Note As Climate Litigation Heats Up
Three recent rulings on climate-related issues — from a New York federal court, a New York state court and an international tribunal, respectively — demonstrate both regulators' concern about climate change and the complexity of conflicting regulations in different jurisdictions, say J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.
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12 Keys To Successful Post-Trial Juror Interviews
Post-trial interviews offer attorneys an avenue to gain valuable insights into juror decision making and get feedback that can inform future litigation strategies, but certain best practices must be followed to get the most out of this research tool, say Alexa Hiley and Brianna Smith at IMS Legal.