Retail & E-Commerce

  • February 12, 2025

    Starbucks Accused Of Flouting Mass. Polygraph Hiring Law

    Starbucks is ignoring a Massachusetts law requiring employers to inform job-seekers that the state doesn't allow the use of lie detector tests in employment decisions, according to a putative class action filed in state court.

  • February 11, 2025

    Wash. Health Privacy Law Debuts In Amazon Tracking Suit

    A Washington resident has launched the first claims under the state's groundbreaking health privacy law, as part of a proposed class action accusing Amazon of unlawfully harvesting location data from tens of millions of mobile phone users through third-party apps that are running the company's software development kit. 

  • February 11, 2025

    Kratom Producers Hid 'Addictive' Risks, Consumers Say

    Companies that make kratom are facing a proposed class action in New York federal court over sales of kratom, standing accused of not disclosing that the substance is just as addictive as opioids.

  • February 11, 2025

    High Court Urged To Skip Amazon Patent Program Fight

    A maker of electric outlet covers has told the U.S. Supreme Court that a jurisdictional victory it scored last year at the Federal Circuit over patent infringement allegations initially brought through Amazon's patent evaluation program was "unremarkable" and should not be considered further.

  • February 11, 2025

    Orion Telescope Partly Revives $4M Fraudulent Transfer Suit

    A California appellate court on Monday partially revived Orion Telescope's suit accusing rival Celestron Acquisition of orchestrating a fraudulent $4.2 million transfer to help another company avoid paying a judgment owed to Orion, ruling that Orion indeed adequately alleged conspiracy or aiding and abetting a fraudulent transfer.

  • February 11, 2025

    Logan Paul Co. Won't Fight Messi's Absence In Drink IP Suit

    Logan Paul's company told a New York federal judge it won't object to Lionel Messi's absence in an upcoming settlement conference in a trademark dispute due to the soccer legend's unavailability, after Messi's counsel claimed Monday the demand for the athlete's attendance appears to be designed "solely to harass" him.

  • February 11, 2025

    Patent Attys Can Be Liable For Fees Too, Justices Told

    The tech and retail industries are endorsing an effort by Dish Network aiming to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to potentially expand the personal liability of lawyers who file failed patent cases that are found to be "exceptional" by the courts. 

  • February 11, 2025

    PFAS Litigation Finds A New Frontier: Consumer Products

    Smartwatch wristbands, adhesive bandages, tampons and juice containers — what do they all have in common? In a growing trend, plaintiffs attorneys allege the products contain toxic forever chemicals and that manufacturers misled consumers about it.

  • February 11, 2025

    FTC Says Small Stores Pay Southern Glazer's Up To 67% More

    The Federal Trade Commission's price discrimination case against Southern Glazer's accuses the wine and spirits distributor of routinely charging small retailers up to 67% more for the same products as large chain stores, according to newly unsealed redactions.

  • February 11, 2025

    Conn. High Court Won't OK Claims Of Relational Loss Of Child

    The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that state law does not recognize a cause of action for loss of filial consortium, answering a question from a federal judge who was overseeing a product liability case against Target Stores Inc. and the maker of an infant car seat that caught fire, severely injuring a baby.

  • February 11, 2025

    Olaplex Can't Escape IPO Investors' Formula Change Suit

    Olaplex and some of its executives must face investor claims that the company's initial public offering documents did not disclose the European Union had banned a controversial ingredient known as lilial, which would impact Olaplex's main product offering, but the IPO underwriters and selling stockholders were allowed to escape the suit.

  • February 11, 2025

    Former Marvel Exec Sues Disney For 'Old White Guy' Bias

    The former co-president of Marvel Entertainment has filed a discrimination lawsuit in California state court alleging he was passed over for a promotion to lead the consumer products division of parent company Disney because he is an "old white guy."

  • February 11, 2025

    DC Circ. Won't Pause Google Search Case For Apple Appeal

    The D.C. Circuit refused to pause the government's search monopolization case against Google while Apple appeals a ruling that denied its bid to participate in a coming April trial meant to determine what remedies to impose on Google for violating antitrust law.

  • February 11, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Revives Patent Suit Against Groupon

    A Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruling that invalidates some claims of a patent does not prevent the patent owner from asserting different claims in court, the Federal Circuit has ruled, finding that a lower court wrongly dismissed a patent suit against Groupon Inc.

  • February 11, 2025

    Plaintiff Firm Sues More THC Makers In Potency Class Action

    A pair of attorneys has hit another set of cannabis companies with a proposed class action in Illinois federal court, alleging they are selling goods that go beyond state limits on THC in cannabis-infused products.

  • February 11, 2025

    Starbucks Fights Fla. Defamation Suit Over Atty's Statements

    Coffee giant Starbucks Corp. wants out of a lawsuit brought by a patent-licensing company executive's defamation lawsuit, arguing its attorney was not speaking for the company when she made allegedly defamatory statements in an October news article.

  • February 11, 2025

    Jones Day Gets Amazon Atty For Energy Practice In Houston

    Jones Day has hired an attorney who previously worked as senior corporate counsel at Amazon and as an in-house lawyer for Chevron Phillips Chemical to strengthen its energy practice group.

  • February 11, 2025

    Lane Bryant Worker Can't Get $1.15M Wage Deal OK'd

    A California federal judge refused to greenlight a $1.15 million deal that would have resolved a stylist's Private Attorneys General Act suit against fashion company Lane Bryant, saying the settlement does not disincentivize the company from acting illegally and devalues the wage and hour claims.

  • February 10, 2025

    Judge Refuses To Certify '70s Rockers' Royalty Class Action

    A Tennessee federal judge on Monday denied class certification in a breach of contract lawsuit by two members of the 1970s pop-rock band Orleans, John Hall and Lance Hoppen, who accused Warner Music Group Corp. and subsidiary Elektra Entertainment of underpaying foreign digital streaming royalties.

  • February 10, 2025

    Apple Urges 9th Circ. Not To Revive Web App Antitrust Suit

    Apple asked the Ninth Circuit on Friday to affirm a lower court's dismissal of a case from iPhone buyers accusing it of violating antitrust law by preventing iPhones from running web-based apps, saying the suit alleges a "highly indirect and speculative" harm that's not even an antitrust injury.

  • February 10, 2025

    FTC Can't Get Cap On Meta's Up To 86 Antitrust Trial Witnesses

    A D.C. federal judge refused Monday to limit the number of witnesses in the Federal Trade Commission's monopolization lawsuit against Meta Platforms, rejecting agency assertions that plans by the Facebook parent company for up to 86 witnesses are "unreasonable."

  • February 10, 2025

    Amazon Used App Toolkit To Harvest User Data, Suit Says

    Amazon has used Candy Crush Saga, Subway Surfers and other mobile apps as a "Trojan Horse" to ingrain secret tracking mechanisms in hundreds of millions of consumers' smartphones through a software development kit for developers, according to a new proposed class action in Seattle federal court.

  • February 10, 2025

    Apple Pushes DC Circ. To Pause Google Search Case

    Apple told the D.C. Circuit on Monday it did not become clear that it needs to intervene in the government's search monopolization case against Google until enforcers proposed remedies that affected Apple's conduct too.

  • February 10, 2025

    Insurer Says No Coverage Owed For Toxic Hair Product Suit

    The makers of a hair straightening treatment do not have coverage for a lawsuit alleging the product is carcinogenic because the claims against them came after the treatment was known to be hazardous, and after the policy had ended, an insurer told a California federal court.

  • February 10, 2025

    Fighting Cancer Has Impaired Life, Zantac Plaintiff Testifies

    One of the men retrying his Zantac cancer claims in Illinois testified Monday that fighting his illness has meant navigating negative side effects and missing the full family life he previously enjoyed.

Expert Analysis

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

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    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • How Trump 2.0 May Change Business In Latin America

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    Companies in Latin America should expect to face more trade restrictions, tighter economic sanctions and enhanced corruption risks, as the incoming administration shifts focus to certain non-U.S. actors, most notably China, says Matteson Ellis at Miller & Chevalier.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

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    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • When Judging Product Label Claims, Follow The Asterisk

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    A recurring question in false advertising class actions is whether misleading or ambiguous statements on a product's front label can be cured by information on the back label — but recent decisions from the Ninth Circuit suggest that a front-label asterisk can help alert consumers to seek further clarification, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Complying With Seasonal Product Labeling Requirements

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    Though the holiday season is in the rearview, many seasonal alcohol products remain in the market, and producers should ensure that their labels comply with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's additional requirements for such products, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • 2 Cases May Enlighten UK Funds' Securities Litigation Path

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    Following recent nine-figure settlements in securities class actions against Apple and Under Armour, U.K. pension funds may increasingly lead U.S. shareholder derivative suits, advocating for transparency, better risk management and stronger governance practices, say lawyers at Labaton Keller.

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

  • How To Manage During A Trade Dispute With USMCA Partners

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    Companies can try to minimize the potential impacts of future tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods, and uncertainty about future trade relations, by evaluating supply chains, considering how they may be modified, and engaging with the new administration over exemptions and the upcoming review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 3 Factors Affecting Retail M&A Deals In 2025

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    Retailers considering mergers and acquisitions this year face an evolving antitrust environment, including a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump, revised merger guidelines and a precedent set last year by a canceled $8.5 billion handbag merger, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Searching For Insight On Requested Google Chrome Remedy

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    The potential for Google to divest its Chrome browser — a remedy requested by the Justice Department following a D.C. federal court’s finding the company is a monopolist — has drawn both criticism and endorsement, but legal precedent likely supports the former, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Lessons Learned From 2024's Top ADA Decisions

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    Last year's major litigation related to the Americans with Disabilities Act highlights that when dealing with accommodation requests, employers must communicate clearly, appreciate context and remain flexible in addressing needs, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • Fed. Circ. In December: A Patent Prosecution History Lesson

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    Despite relying on two rock-solid principles of patent law, DDR lost its Federal Circuit case against Priceline.com, highlighting how a change in the scope of the invention from the provisional to the nonprovisional application can affect the court's analysis of how a skilled artisan would understand claim terms after reading the prosecution history, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Retailers Must Adapt As Courts Shift On False Price Claims

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    The increasing frequency with which courts are denying motions to dismiss false reference price claims signals that these lawsuits are not going away anytime soon, so retailers must be prepared for a more complex and prolonged defense process, say attorneys at Akerman.

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