Retail & E-Commerce

  • March 18, 2025

    10th Circ. Pokes Holes In Walmart's Defenses In Bias Suit

    A talkative Tenth Circuit panel seemed inclined Tuesday to revive a Walmart employee's lawsuit alleging he was discriminated against for being gay, as the court's chief judge appeared incredulous that evidence of slurs and other derogatory comments being thrown around the workplace weren't enough to sustain his harassment claim.

  • March 18, 2025

    NJ Retailer Settles Suit Over Ammo Sold To Undercover Cops

    A Garden State firearms retailer has agreed to establish procedures to make sure that it does not sell guns to unauthorized people, under a court-ordered settlement with the New Jersey attorney general.

  • March 18, 2025

    Amazon Denied Quick Appeal For E-Book Antitrust Claims

    A New York federal court denied Amazon's request to immediately appeal a district court's refusal to toss a proposed class action accusing it of monopolizing the e-book market, saying the e-commerce giant just disagrees with the decision.

  • March 18, 2025

    Curaleaf Cos. Say Illegal Contract Nixes Farm's $32M Verdict

    Curaleaf units that lost a $31.8 million trial in January are urging a Michigan federal court to wipe out the verdict, saying the contract at issue violates federal law, warranting either a judgment as a matter of law or a new trial.

  • March 18, 2025

    Forever 21 Moves Ahead With Swift Ch. 11 Plans

    Fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 on Tuesday secured a Delaware bankruptcy judge's approval for motions that put it on track to close more than 300 stores and emerge from its second Chapter 11 in June.

  • March 18, 2025

    NLRB Judge Won't Issue Bargaining Order At Mo. Starbucks

    Starbucks violated the National Labor Relations Act once during Workers United's organizing drive at a Missouri store, but the violation wasn't severe enough to have caused the union's loss in a representation election, a National Labor Relations Board judge said, rejecting board prosecutors' request for a bargaining order.

  • March 18, 2025

    Bank Groups Push For Permanent Block On Ill. Swipe Fee Law

    Banking industry groups moved late Monday to deliver a final blow to an Illinois state law that bans swipe fees on tax and tip portions of payment card transactions, asking a Chicago federal judge to go ahead and finish off the ban before it takes effect this summer.

  • March 17, 2025

    Yeti Escapes Suit Over Third-Party Info Sharing

    A California federal judge has freed Yeti from a woman's proposed class action accusing the cooler and drinkware company of disclosing people's personal and financial information to a payment processor without consent, saying the woman's now twice-amended complaint didn't fix problems the court had previously highlighted.

  • March 17, 2025

    Poppi Buyers Ink $8.9M Deal Over 'Gut Healthy' Soda Claims

    A group of Poppi-brand soda consumers asked a California federal judge Friday to greenlight an $8.9 million proposed settlement that would resolve consolidated false advertising claims alleging the beverage company misleadingly touted its products as "prebiotics for a healthy gut."

  • March 17, 2025

    Kroger Shakes Calif. Suit Over Interception Of Website Chats

    A California federal judge has refused to hold The Kroger Co. liable for a third party's allegedly unlawful eavesdropping on Kroger website users' chats, in a ruling that the grocery chain's counsel predicted could have a "wide impact" on the crush of state wiretapping litigation currently flooding the courts.

  • March 17, 2025

    Judge Axes Bid To Recoup Short-Swing Profits In Novel Ruling

    A New York federal judge has ruled in a matter of first impression that sporting goods company Clarus Corp. cannot recoup $57 million in short-swing profits a trading firm made from a series of transactions because the high-volume trades fit an exemption for market-making activities.

  • March 17, 2025

    Singaporean Tech Co. Inks $46M Investor Settlement

    Singaporean tech conglomerate Sea Ltd. has reached a $46 million settlement to end a putative securities class action over investor statements that allegedly downplayed massive losses to its video game and e-commerce divisions, according to a filing in Arizona federal court.

  • March 17, 2025

    Amazon Hit With Greenwashing Suit Over Paper Products

    Consumers in four different states have launched a proposed class action against Amazon in Washington federal court, accusing the retail giant of greenwashing its claims about its "Basics" line of paper products and misleading buyers about the sustainability of products whose supply chains are in fact "deeply unsustainable."

  • March 17, 2025

    Amazon Beats Investor Suit Over Third-Party Seller Practices

    A Washington federal judge on Monday tossed a consolidated proposed securities class action claiming Amazon and its top brass duped investors about the company's fulfillment capacity and third-party seller practices, finding the lawsuit doesn't sufficiently allege the executives were deliberately reckless or motivated to deceive shareholders.

  • March 17, 2025

    Hershey Customer Agrees To End Metals-In-Chocolate Suit

    A Hershey customer has agreed to permanently end her suit accusing the confectionery giant of selling dark chocolate products containing dangerous levels of heavy metals, but left open the opportunity for absent proposed class members to pursue claims, according to a notice filed Monday in California federal court.

  • March 17, 2025

    Gorilla Mind Accuses Rival Of Infringing TM For Energy Drinks

    A company that sells energy drinks and dietary supplements called "Gorilla Mind" and "Gorilla Mode" has sued a rival for launching competing products in December with "Gorilla" in the name, alleging it has caused confusion in the energy drink market.

  • March 17, 2025

    Illinois Cannabis Social Equity Licensee Sued By Backer

    A company that backs entrepreneurs qualified for social equity cannabis licenses alleged in a new federal lawsuit that a business owner it partnered with reneged on their agreement when he attempted to sell his retail marijuana license to another party.

  • March 17, 2025

    Wash. AG Seeks $32M In Legal Fees In Kroger Merger Case

    Washington's attorney general said the state is entitled to recover $32.4 million in legal fees for prevailing in its lawsuit opposing Kroger's $24.6 billion bid to buy Albertsons, including nearly $10 million for Munger Tolles & Olson LLP's assistance in the state court case.

  • March 17, 2025

    2nd Circ. Sends Amazon Wage Question To Conn. Justices

    The Second Circuit asked Connecticut's top court Monday to weigh in on whether employees are owed pay for their time spent undergoing post-shift anti-theft screenings, saying the state's justices have not yet provided guidance on this matter.

  • March 17, 2025

    Ex-Freshpet Seller Wins Breakup Fee But May Still Owe $8M

    Pet food maker Freshpet is liable for $5 million for aborting a distribution agreement it had with an animal food distributor, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Monday, reasoning that there was no dispute that the contract had been breached.

  • March 17, 2025

    Hair Care Co.'s Hair, Face Scans Violate BIPA, Consumer Says

    Hair care company Living Proof has been sued in Illinois state court by a consumer who says the company illegally collects and uses customers' biometric hair and face geometry to analyze their hair characteristics and recommend products to buy online.  

  • March 17, 2025

    Auto Mogul Says $150M Note Changes Were For Co.'s Survival

    An auto parts manufacturer and its leader have urged a Michigan federal judge to find that they didn't fraudulently change promissory notes worth $150 million to cheat Alter Domus LLC out of payment, telling the court the amendments were made to help the company survive the COVID-19 pandemic.  

  • March 17, 2025

    Forever 21 Hits Ch. 11 Again With $1.6B Of Debt, Sale Plan

    Fashion retailer Forever 21's U.S. operator has filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court with $1.58 billion of funded debt and plans to wind down operations at its 354 U.S. stores if it fails to find a last-minute buyer for the business.

  • March 14, 2025

    11th Circ. Again Upholds Fla. Ban On Under-21 Gun Sales

    Florida's law banning sales of firearms to anyone under 21 is constitutional, a divided Eleventh Circuit ruled Friday on en banc review, finding that America's 18- to 20-year-olds have had their gun rights checked since the nation's founding.

  • March 14, 2025

    Dunkin' Nears End To ADA Suit Over Milk Alternative Charges

    A California federal judge indicated Friday that she's ready to toss a proposed class action claiming doughnut chain Dunkin' violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by charging extra for beverages with nondairy milk after noting that the chain announced it would no longer charge extra for nonlactose alternatives.

Expert Analysis

  • Del. Dispatch: The 2024 Corporate Cases You Need To Know

    Author Photo

    The Delaware Court of Chancery in 2024 issued several decisions that some viewed as upending long-standing corporate practices, leading to the amendment of the Delaware General Corporation Law and debates at some Delaware corporations about potentially reincorporating to another state, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Unwrapping Retailer AI Risks Amid Holiday Shopping Season

    Author Photo

    While generative artificial intelligence tools can catalyze game-changing results for retailers looking to stay ahead of the competition during the holiday season, and year-round, it can also bring certain legal risks, including product liability concerns, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • When US Privilege Law Applies To Docs Made Outside The US

    Author Photo

    As globalization manifests itself in disputes over foreign-created documents, a California federal court’s recent trademark decision illustrates nuances of both U.S. privilege frameworks and foreign evidentiary protections that attorneys must increasingly bear in mind, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Notable 2024 Trademark Cases And What To Watch In 2025

    Author Photo

    Emerging disputes between established tech giants and smaller trademark holders promise to test the boundaries of trademark protection in 2025, following a 2024 marked with disputes in areas ranging from cybersquatting to geographic marks, says Danner Kline at Bradley Arant.

  • Examining Vidal's Guidance On PTAB Section 315 Time Bar

    Author Photo

    Last month's decision by outgoing U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal in Luminex v. Signify addresses the Section 315 statutes that preclude institution of inter partes review proceedings after certain civil actions are filed, and is instructive as PTAB panels are likely to follow this approach going forward, says Amanda Wieker at McGuireWoods.

  • What 2024 Trends In Marketing, Comms Hiring Mean For 2025

    Author Photo

    The state of hiring in legal industry marketing, business development and communications over the past 12 months was marked by a number of trends — from changes in the C-suite to lateral move challenges — providing clues for what’s to come in the year ahead, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • How Trump's Tariff Promises May Play Out In 2nd Term

    Author Photo

    While it is unclear which of President-elect Donald Trump's promised tariffs he intends to actually implement in January, lessons from his first administration, laws governing executive action and U.S. trade agreements together paint a picture of what may be possible, say attorneys at Butzel.

  • Series

    Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.

  • Marketing Messages Matter In State AG Consumer Protection

    Author Photo

    Attorneys general interpret marketing claims far more broadly than many companies may realize, so to mitigate potential risk, businesses should be vigilant about all consumer messaging, including communications that may not traditionally be considered advertising in the colloquial sense, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Opinion

    6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School

    Author Photo

    Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

    Author Photo

    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Reviewing 2024's State Consumer Privacy Law Enforcement

    Author Photo

    While we are still in the infancy of state consumer privacy laws, a review of enforcement activity this year suggests substantial overlaps in regulatory priorities across the most active states and gives insight into the likely paths of future enforcement, says Thomas Nolan at Quinn Emanuel.

  • Preparing For The New Restrictions On Investment Into China

    Author Photo

    In light of a new regulatory program governing U.S. investments in China-related technology companies of national security concern, investors should keep several considerations in mind, including the rules' effect on existing and new investments, compliance hurdles, and penalties for noncompliance ahead of the rules' January implementation, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

    Author Photo

    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Netflix Dispute May Alter 'Source' In TM Fair-Use Analysis

    Author Photo

    ​The Ninth Circuit’s upcoming decision in Hara v. Netflix​, about what it means to be source-identifying​, could change how the Rogers defense protects expressive works that utilize trademarks in a creative fashion, says Sara Gold at Gold IP.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Retail & E-Commerce archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!