Cybersecurity & Privacy

  • October 09, 2024

    Judge OKs $9M Data Hack Deal, Asks How Public Views Fees

    A Washington federal judge on Wednesday approved an $8.8 million settlement that ended a consolidated data breach class action against a Hearst Health unit, but not before pondering how the public might perceive the deal, in which one-third of the money is going toward legal costs.

  • October 09, 2024

    Kohl's Sued After Vendor Hack Leaks 1.9M Customers Files

    Kohl's department store customers hit the retail giant on Wednesday with a putative breach of implied contract class action in Pennsylvania federal court alleging the store failed to protect data from 1.9 million customers from a hack targeting a contractor the retailer uses for debt collection.

  • October 09, 2024

    Yale Must Answer Ex-Student's 'Execution' Fears, Judge Says

    A judge has ordered Yale University to respond to an expelled student's fears of execution if he is deported to Afghanistan as she mulls lifting a ban on naming a classmate who accused the ex-student of sexual assault in litigation connected to a key Title IX ruling.

  • October 09, 2024

    NY Mets Parent Co. Accused Of Selling Biometric Data For Profit

    Sterling Mets LP — the owner of the New York Mets baseball franchise — has been hit with a proposed class action alleging that it illegally shares biometric identifier information from Citi Field's visitors for a profit.

  • October 09, 2024

    Thomson Reuters Gets Initial OK On $27.5M Privacy Suit Deal

    A San Francisco federal judge Wednesday preliminarily approved Thomson Reuters' $27.5 million deal to settle a certified class action alleging that the information conglomerate violated the privacy rights of 40 million Californians by secretly collecting their data to sell "cradle-to-grave dossiers."

  • October 09, 2024

    Pa. Justices Delve Into Audiences For Facebook Posts

    Whether the public's right to access to school board members' controversial social media posts depends on the intended audience dominated oral argument at the Pennsylvania's Supreme Court on Wednesday in a resident's challenge of a court order shielding the content.

  • October 09, 2024

    Marriott Inks $52M Deal With States Over Guest Data Breach

    Marriott International Inc. has agreed to pay $52 million to nearly every U.S. state and bolster its data security practices to resolve parallel investigations by state attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission over a massive data breach at the hotel's Starwood-branded properties.

  • October 09, 2024

    Settlement Ends Suit Over 'Unwanted' Insurance Agency Calls

    A Georgia-based insurance agency has reached a settlement with a proposed class that accused it of making "aggressive" telemarketing calls to seniors advertising final expense and life insurance products despite the seniors' requests that the calls stop or their status on the national do-not-call list.

  • October 08, 2024

    Ex-Uber Exec's Actions Smell Like Cover-Up, 9th Circ. Judge Says

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Tuesday of Uber's ex-security chief's effort to overturn his convictions for obstructing an investigation into an Uber data breach, with one judge saying the defendant's abrupt changes to Uber's policies "does smell to me like a cover-up."

  • October 08, 2024

    Jackson, Kagan Target Loper Bright In Ghost Gun Case

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was uncharacteristically quiet during initial arguments Tuesday over the federal government's authority to regulate ghost guns. While her colleagues debated whether kits of unassembled parts qualify as firearms, she waited patiently to post a different question: Can courts now toss agency interpretations they don't like?

  • October 08, 2024

    Congress Urged To Prevent Stalking Via Smart Car

    An auto technology trade group asked congressional leaders Tuesday to push through legislation that would allow car connectivity services to cut access to domestic abusers.

  • October 08, 2024

    House Oversight Chair Targets Khan's 'Political Activities'

    House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., put Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan on blast Tuesday for participating in official events held by Democratic lawmakers running for reelection or higher office, castigating the leader of the FTC's Democratic majority for "partisan political activities."

  • October 08, 2024

    Mich. Judge Won't Halt EV Battery-Plant Build During Appeal

    A Michigan federal judge said Monday she will not lift an order forcing a town's leaders to abide by a development agreement with battery manufacturer Gotion Inc. while the town seeks a Sixth Circuit review of the decision.

  • October 08, 2024

    Exporting Chips To China Doesn't Merit 7 Years, 9th Circ. Told

    Counsel for a former UCLA electrical engineering professor urged the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to reduce his seven-year prison sentence for illegally exporting high-powered semiconductor chips to China, saying the conduct did not amount to an evasion of national security controls.

  • October 08, 2024

    College Admins Beat Ex-Prof's Suit Over Race-Based Study

    Cleveland State University faculty defeated a former professor's suit alleging he was unlawfully fired for publishing research asserting intelligence differences between white and Black people, with an Ohio federal judge finding he was let go for abusing access to restricted data, not his research subject.

  • October 08, 2024

    AGs Slam TikTok With Youth Addiction, Fraud Claims

    More than a dozen states have sued TikTok, alleging the popular social media platform targets young users and manipulates them into becoming habitual users while downplaying the harmful effects it can have on mental health and development.

  • October 07, 2024

    Mednax Gets Final OK For $6M Data Breach Settlement

    A Florida federal judge on Friday gave the green light to Mednax's $6 million settlement putting to rest a proposed class action accusing the medical provider of failing to adequately protect patients' personal information from a 2020 phishing attack, calling the deal "fair, reasonable and adequate."

  • October 07, 2024

    Car Sharing App Getaround Faces BIPA Suit Over Facial Scans

    Car sharing platform Getaround Inc. is facing a proposed class action in Illinois federal court accusing the company of illegally gathering, storing and disseminating its users' facial geometry scans obtained through a mandatory verification process, in violation of the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act.

  • October 07, 2024

    FCC Needs To 'Harmonize' Cybersecurity, Mobile Group Says

    A key wireless industry group has urged the Federal Communications Commission to ensure the network cybersecurity plans required by the agency's recent 5G Fund order are applied evenly across all its deployment funding programs.

  • October 07, 2024

    Apple Doesn't Infringe Digital Identity Patents, Jury Finds

    A federal jury in Austin, Texas, has rejected a $361 million patent case from a longtime ExxonMobil employee who had targeted in-house cybersecurity hardware used in Apple iPhones.

  • October 07, 2024

    Epic Judge Orders Google To Let Rivals Set Up App Stores

    A California federal judge on Monday ordered Google to offer third-party options for downloading apps on Android phones, banned it from offering companies financial incentives to discourage competition with Google Play and blocked it from signing developer deals to have an app launch first or exclusively in its app store.

  • October 07, 2024

    Meta Loses Second Bid To Ax £2.3B Data Misuse Class Action

    Meta has failed in its second attempt to challenge a decision by Britain's antitrust tribunal to allow a £2.3 billion ($3.1 billion) class action accusing the Facebook owner of exploiting its users' data, as an appeals court ruled Monday that the "complex" issues should be determined at trial.

  • October 07, 2024

    Winston & Strawn Adds Digital Assets Pro From K&L Gates

    Winston & Strawn LLP has hired as a partner for its transactions department and as a member of its digital assets and blockchain technology group an attorney who formerly worked at K&L Gates LLP and co-chaired its digital assets industry group.

  • October 07, 2024

    Justices Won't Review Feds' Warrant On Trump's Twitter DMs

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to review a court order that allowed special counsel Jack Smith to obtain messages from Donald Trump's account on the X social media platform while barring X Corp. from alerting the former president beforehand.

  • October 07, 2024

    High Court Rejects Ex-Raytheon Worker's Retaliation Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to revisit its prior ruling insulating security clearance decisions from court review, after a fired Raytheon worker urged the court to clarify whether that decision also applies to actions by federal contractors.

Expert Analysis

  • How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act

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    In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.

  • FTC Drives Crackdown On Connected Cars' Data Privacy Risk

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    After the Federal Trade Commission's warning to automakers about data privacy, which continues to emerge as a national concern, automakers must carefully examine their data collection, use and retention practices, say Catherine Castaldo and Michael Rubayo at Reed Smith.

  • Considerations As State AGs Step Up Privacy Enforcement

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    As new state privacy laws take effect, businesses are facing an increasingly complex patchwork of compliance obligations and risk of scrutiny by attorneys general, but companies can gain a competitive edge by building consumer trust and staying ahead of regulatory trends, say Ann-Marie Luciano and Meghan Stoppel at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Lessons From Recent SEC Cyber Enforcement Actions

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    The recent guidance by the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance is helpful to any company facing a cybersecurity threat, but just as instructive are the warnings raised by the SEC's recent enforcement actions against SolarWinds, R.R. Donnelley and Intercontinental Exchange, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

  • How Cos. With Chinese Suppliers Should Prep For Biotech Bill

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    A proposed bill to prohibit government-affiliated life sciences companies from contracting with Chinese biotech companies of concern may necessitate switching to other sources for research and supplies, meaning they should begin evaluating supply chains now due to the long lead times of drug development, say John O'Loughlin and Christina Carone at Weil Gotshal.

  • Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?

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    A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Series

    Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

  • A Look At The Regulatory Scrutiny Facing Liquid Restaking

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    Recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement actions highlight the regulatory challenges facing emerging financial instruments like liquid restaking tokens and services, say Daniel Davis and Alexander Kim at Katten.

  • Considerations When Using Publicly Available Data To Train AI

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    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.

  • Illinois BIPA Reform Offers Welcome Relief To Businesses

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    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.

  • Jarkesy Ruling May Redefine Jury Role In Patent Fraud

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    Regardless of whether the U.S. Supreme Court’s Jarkesy ruling implicates the direction of inequitable conduct, which requires showing that the patentee made material statements or omissions to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the decision has created opportunities for defendants to argue more substantively for jury trials than ever before, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    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.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

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    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.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    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.

  • How To Deploy AI In A Dangerous Threat Landscape

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    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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