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Retail & E-Commerce
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September 18, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Revive Gas Price-Fixing Suit Over Trump Pact
The Ninth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a proposed class action alleging price fixing between major oil producers as part of the Trump Administration's 2020 deal with Russia and Saudi Arabia to cut production, saying that subjecting the pact to judicial review would be inappropriately "second-guessing" executive branch foreign policy.
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September 18, 2024
Vista Rejects MNC's Latest Offer, Recommends Czech Co. Bid
Vista Outdoor Inc. on Wednesday again rejected Dallas-based private equity firm MNC Capital Partners LP's bid to take over the company and instead recommended that its shareholders approve its already-inked deal with Czech defense company Czechoslovak Group AS.
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September 18, 2024
Altria's Vape As Popular As Kale Juice, Elf Bar Tells Calif. Court
Blocking the Chinese companies behind Elf Bar from importing their flavored vapes won't increase the market share of Altria Group subsidiary NJOY's nicotine e-cigarettes, the foreign companies argued, saying it's just as unlikely as consumers going from grape juice to kale juice.
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September 18, 2024
EEOC Nabs $85K For Ex-Walmart Worker Who Needed Leave
Walmart has agreed to pay a former sales associate $85,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming the retail giant fired her when she requested medical leave to treat her Crohn's disease, according to a North Carolina federal court filing.
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September 18, 2024
IP Firm Prevails In Malpractice Suit Over Dueling Patent Apps
A Boston intellectual property law firm on Wednesday ducked a legal malpractice suit brought by a Colorado technology company alleging the firm betrayed it while filing patents on behalf of another client, after a Massachusetts federal judge found an absence of attorney-client relationship sunk the claims.
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September 18, 2024
3rd Circ. Digs Into NLRB's Power To Punish Starbucks
A Third Circuit panel on Wednesday struggled to find agreement between Starbucks Corp. and the National Labor Relations Board on the scope of the agency's power to penalize companies for violating employees' rights, as it considered the coffee chain's challenge to the agency's penalties over its firing of two unionizing workers.
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September 18, 2024
Pa. AG Sues Robot Co. Over $2M In Unfilled Orders, Refunds
A Pittsburgh robotics company took orders for more than $4 million worth of robot toys but failed to deliver many of them — and in the case of a toy based on the TV show "Rick and Morty," didn't secure the intellectual property rights — according to a consumer protection lawsuit announced by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office on Wednesday.
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September 18, 2024
Breitling Can't Get $1.4M Fee In Jeweler's 'Red Gold' TM Suit
A Connecticut federal judge has rejected a request for $1.48 million in attorney fees by Swiss watchmaker Breitling SA and its American arm after they beat trademark infringement claims brought by a California jeweler, ruling that the claims may have been unsuccessful but that they were "not frivolous."
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September 18, 2024
Accounting Firm Prunes Flower Bulb Co.'s $2M Tax Bill Case
The North Carolina Business Court has narrowed a flower bulb retailer's negligence suit alleging its former accounting firm failed to sound the alarm about a major change in tax law, finding there was no fiduciary duty owed but that there may have been a breach of contract.
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September 18, 2024
Federal Judge Won't Abstain From Pot Payment Co. Dispute
A Nevada federal judge has declined to abstain from a dispute between a pair of investment firms over the collapse of their joint venture, saying while one company is a subsidiary of a cannabis payment processing company, the dispute can be resolved without dipping into the murky waters of cannabis's federal illegality.
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September 18, 2024
Tupperware Hits Ch. 11 In Del. With Plans For Quick Sale
The iconic food storage company Tupperware Brands Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware with more than $1 billion in liabilities and plans for a quick sale, after months of concern about whether its famous direct sales model had finally hit a wall.
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September 17, 2024
Bible Tabs Maker Says Chinese Co. Sold Amazon Dupes
The maker of Bible index tabs has sued a Chinese company allegedly selling knock-offs on Amazon that copy the brand's "expressive, ornamental and distinctive floral designs."
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September 17, 2024
2nd Circ. Lets American Girl Doll Counterfeit Case Proceed
The Second Circuit on Tuesday held that doll manufacturer American Girl LLC could move ahead with its New York federal suit accusing a China-based company of selling counterfeit versions of its dolls, finding that American Girl showed the defendant transacted business in the state.
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September 17, 2024
Police Pension Fund Says Store Chain Inflated Stock Price
Discount retailer Five Below is facing securities class claims in Pennsylvania federal court from a Florida police officers' pension fund, which says the company falsely attributed poor financial performance to inventory shrinkage while concealing deeper operational issues, causing substantial investor losses.
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September 17, 2024
Prepaid Wireless Cards Not Subject To Tax, NC Justices Told
A North Carolina cellphone retailer wasn't obliged to remit tax on sales of prepaid wireless cards because the cards are gift cards that can be used for nontaxable services and sales, an attorney for the company told the state Supreme Court on Tuesday.
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September 17, 2024
Flowers For Miley? Not Without Bruno Mars, Suit Says
Singer Miley Cyrus is accused of lifting extensively from Bruno Mars' popular song "When I Was Your Man" to create her hit "Flowers," according to a copyright suit in California federal court that also targets Sony, Apple, Disney and several others.
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September 17, 2024
Walmart Workers Sue Over Health Plan Tobacco Surcharges
Retail giant Walmart Inc. is violating federal benefits law by making workers who use tobacco pay more for health insurance, according to a proposed class action filed in Wisconsin federal court.
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September 17, 2024
US Growers Say Chilean Grapes A Threat Under Rule Change
A group of California grape growers has hit the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a suit in California federal court alleging the agency's approval of a "systems approach" for importing Chilean grapes abandons traditional safeguards and exposes U.S. grape producers to significant risks and costs.
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September 17, 2024
GC Base Salaries At Big Companies On The Rise
General counsel base salaries at companies making $5 billion or more in revenue has increased from last year, while their total compensation has decreased, according to a report released Tuesday by the Association of Corporate Counsel and Empsight International LLC.
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September 17, 2024
Licorice Maker KLN Defeats 'Naturally Flavored' Deception Suit
A California federal judge has dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit alleging the manufacturer of Wiley Wallaby falsely advertised the licorice as "naturally flavored," finding the suit lacked particularity in alleging that the malic acid used in the product was artificial.
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September 17, 2024
Blumenauer Pushes House Speaker To Put Pot Bill To Vote
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., on Monday urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring bipartisan cannabis legislation to a vote following revelations that Richard Nixon admitted privately that marijuana was "not particularly dangerous" while he publicly waged the war on drugs.
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September 17, 2024
Toshiba Sheet-Counting Patent Gets Revoked On Appeal
Toshiba has lost a patent over a sheet-inspecting machine that can count and reject banknotes, after European officials ruled that it was obvious in light of previous patents.
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September 17, 2024
Ashurst Hires Fintech Pro From EY Law In London
Ashurst LLP has recruited an expert in financial technology from EY Law to strengthen its capability to advise clients on digital transformation projects.
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September 17, 2024
Euronext Buys UK Stock Market Research, Data Software Biz
Euronext NV said Tuesday that it has bought Substantive Research Ltd., a British provider of investment research and market data, as the stock exchange aims to bolster its analysis service for investors.
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September 17, 2024
70% Of Insurance Underwriters Fear Replacement By AI
Seven out of 10 insurance underwriting professionals in the U.S. and U.K. fear losing their jobs within the next five years to artificial intelligence, a survey released Tuesday suggested, as the sector increasingly invests in new forms of automation.
Expert Analysis
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Shaping Speech Policies After NLRB's BLM Protest Ruling
After the National Labor Relations Board decided last month that a Home Depot employee was protected by federal labor law when they wore a Black Lives Matter slogan on their apron, employers should consider four questions in order to mitigate legal risks associated with workplace political speech policies, say Louis Cannon and Cassandra Horton at Baker Donelson.
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Tips On Numerical Range From Fed. Circ. Philip Morris Ruling
The Federal Circuit's recent RAI v. Philip Morris decision that a patent provided sufficient written description to support a claimed numerical range offers several takeaways for practitioners, including the need for a cautious approach to criticism of ranges, say attorneys at BCLP.
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Fed. Circ. Patent Lesson: No Contradiction, No Indefiniteness
The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Maxwell v. Amperex Technology highlights the complexities of construing patent claims when seemingly contradictory limitations are present, and that when a narrowing limitation overrides a broader one, they do not necessarily contradict each other, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.
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Legal Considerations For Circular Economy Strategies
As circular economy goals — generating revenue at multiple points in a product's life cycle — become nearly ubiquitous in corporate sustainability practices, companies should reassess existing strategies by focusing on government incentives, regulations, and reporting and disclosure requirements, say Rachel Saltzman and Erin Grisby at Hunton.
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11th Circ. FMLA Ruling Deepens Divide Over Causation
The Eleventh Circuit's recent ruling in Lapham v. Walgreen distinguishes the circuit as the loudest advocate for the but-for causation standard for assessing Family and Medical Leave Act retaliation claims, though employers in other jurisdictions may encounter less favorable standards and the U.S. Supreme Court will likely have to address the circuit split eventually, say attorneys at Benesch.
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2nd Circ.'s Nine West Ruling Clarifies Safe Harbor Confusion
The Second Circuit’s recent ruling in Nine West’s Chapter 11 suit clarifies that courts in the circuit will apply a transfer-by-transfer analysis to determine the applicability of Section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code, and that to be safe harbored, a financial institution must act as an agent with respect to the specific transfer at issue, says Leonardo Trivigno at Carter Ledyard.
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Enforcement Risk Amid Increased Consumer Data Use
While no state has introduced a private right of action for noncompliance with a comprehensive consumer privacy law — except for the California Consumer Privacy Act's data breach provision — organizations and retailers face risk from enforcement actions by state attorneys general and privacy regulators, say attorneys at Dentons.
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Litigation Inspiration: A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment
As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.
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Opinion
The Problems In Calif. Draft Behavioral Ad Privacy Regs
The California Privacy Protection Agency has an opportunity with its automated decision-making technology and profiling rulemaking to harmonize California's regulation of data-driven advertising, but this will be a failure unless several things are changed in its proposed treatment of behavioral advertising, say Alan Friel and Kyle Fath at Squire Patton.
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A New Push To Clear Up Marijuana's Foggy Legal Status
A recently publicized U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendation to reschedule marijuana has reignited discourse over the drug's federal legal status — and although rescheduling would mitigate the legal risks for the industry and drastically increase the resources available for industry participants, the path forward will not be clear cut, say Joseph Cioffi and Louis DiLorenzo at Davis+Gilbert.
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Series
Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC
The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Corporate Transparency Act Isn't Dead Yet
After an Alabama federal court's ruling last week rendering the Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutional, changes to the law may ultimately be required, but ongoing compliance is still the best course of action for most, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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New FinCEN Guide Provides Useful BOI Context For Banks
Financial institutions should review a new Financial Crimes Enforcement Network compliance guide for helpful details about how the agency's beneficial ownership information database should be used, though questions remain about the access rule and whether it will truly streamline bank borrowers' Corporate Transparency Act due diligence, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts
Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.