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Retail & E-Commerce
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February 12, 2025
Colo. Judge Tosses Online Fax Co.'s Junk Ad Suit
A Colorado federal judge dismissed an online fax service provider's Telephone Consumer Protection Act suit alleging a group of companies overwhelmed its system with "junk" faxes, finding in a Wednesday order that the law's prohibition specifically applies to a "machine" that receives and prints faxes.
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February 12, 2025
4th Circ. Keeps Class Cert. Nixed In Coupon Service Case
Class certification remains off the table in a lawsuit accusing Inmar Inc. of fixing shipping prices for coupon processing services, after a Fourth Circuit panel sided Wednesday with district court findings that none of the three proffered ways to identify a class of manufacturer plaintiffs holds up.
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February 12, 2025
Cannabis Vape Cos. Accused Of Price-Fixing Scheme
A Chinese cannabis vape manufacturer and a slew of its U.S.-based distributors have been hit with a proposed class action alleging they maintained an unlawful anticompetitive arrangement that kept the price of marijuana vapes artificially high for close to a decade.
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February 12, 2025
Willkie DQ'd Out Of Franchise Group Ch. 11
A Delaware bankruptcy judge Wednesday denied retail chain operator Franchise Group Inc.'s request to retain Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in its Chapter 11, saying issues stemming from a transaction it worked on before the bankruptcy are too central to the company's reorganization plans.
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February 12, 2025
Poultry Producers Can't Dodge Bid-Rigging Claims In MDL
An Illinois federal judge trimmed on Tuesday some conspiracy claims from a massive antitrust case against chicken producers, including Pilgrim's Pride and over a dozen others, but kept intact other bid-rigging allegations, finding that a class of restaurants and other direct buyers plausibly alleged the companies increased prices in parallel.
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February 12, 2025
Gore-Tex Maker Accused Of Greenwashing Waterproof Fabric
W.L. Gore & Associates has been slapped with a proposed class action in Washington federal court accusing it of embarking on a "greenwashing" campaign by touting its Gore-Tex waterproof fabric as being environmentally sound, while concealing from customers it uses forever chemicals in manufacturing the material.
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February 12, 2025
Albertsons To Face Reduced Claims Over Tech Theft
A Washington federal judge has cleared software company Replenium Inc. to pursue trade secret and promissory estoppel claims against Albertsons, finding it plausibly alleged the grocer misused confidential information from their software partnership to build a competing auto-replenishment platform.
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February 12, 2025
Colo. City Asks State Justices To Revive Pot Ballot Question
The city of Colorado Springs is asking the Colorado Supreme Court to revive a ballot initiative that a district court struck from an upcoming election that would repeal an initiative passed in November authorizing the retail sale of cannabis in city limits.
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February 12, 2025
Fed. Circ. Upholds Duties On Italian Co.'s Chinese-Made Tires
The Chinese arm of an Italian tire manufacturer must pay significant duties, according to a precedential ruling from the Federal Circuit, which found that the U.S. Department of Commerce correctly determined the company could be influenced by the Chinese government.
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February 12, 2025
Nike Asks 9th Circ. To Claw Back Workplace Harassment Docs
A lawyer for Nike urged a Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday to block an Oregon local newspaper from publishing workplace harassment questionnaires provided by plaintiffs' attorney in pay equity litigation against the athletic apparel giant.
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February 12, 2025
Joann To Close Over 500 US Stores In Second Ch. 11
Joann Inc., a fabrics and crafts retailer that reentered bankruptcy in January, asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge Wednesday for permission to close more than 500 underperforming stores throughout the country that the company said potential buyers of the business aren't interested in taking on.
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February 12, 2025
Fried Frank Faces Sanctions Bid Over RICO Suit
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP and its client, Tristar Products Inc., are facing a sanctions bid for bringing a RICO lawsuit against Telebrands Corp., with the defendant saying the complaint makes the company and its attorney seem like "alleged criminal masterminds."
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February 12, 2025
Meta User Antitrust Suit Gets Nov. 17 Trial Date
A California federal judge has set a Nov. 17 trial date for accusations that Meta monopolized the social media advertising market weeks after he declined to certify a class of Facebook users that would have numbered in the millions.
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February 12, 2025
KPMG Taps Walmart Executive For General Counsel
A top executive for Walmart is leaving the retail giant at the end of the month to join the leadership ranks of KPMG LLP, one of the Big Four accounting firms, as general counsel.
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February 12, 2025
$180M Deals In Poultry Process Wage-Fixing Row Get First OK
A Maryland federal judge gave her blessing to several settlements totaling approximately $180 million in a suit accusing a slew of poultry companies of conspiring to keep wages low at their plants, greenlighting what the workers called "a historic recovery."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Expert Analysis
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Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics
Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.
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How Labeling And Testing May Help Reduce PFAS Litigation
As regulators take steps to reduce consumers’ exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, companies can take a proactive approach to mitigating litigation risks not only by labeling their products transparently, but also by complying with testing and marketing standards, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.
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It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers
Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.
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Behind 3rd Circ. Ruling On College Athletes' FLSA Eligibility
The Third Circuit's decision that college athletes are not precluded from bringing a claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act raises key questions about the practical consequences of treating collegiate athletes as employees, such as Title IX equal pay claims and potential eligibility for all employment benefits, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Commerce Proposal Could Ease Trade Remedy Administration
Recently proposed international trade enforcement regulations could help the U.S. Department of Commerce more easily administer antidumping and countervailing duty remedies, in turn maximizing relief to American companies adversely affected by unfair trade, says Natan Tubman at Buchanan Ingersoll.
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Rise Of Transpo Contractors Brings Insurance Disputes
As more independent contractors are contracted and subcontracted in the delivery industry, companies must be prepared to defend claims from drivers who are injured on the job as they are often seeking to establish an employment relationship with one of the entities in the chain, says Nathan Milner at Goldberg Segalla.
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'Greenhushing': Why Some Cos. Are Keeping Quiet On ESG
A wave of ESG-related litigation and regulations have led some companies to retreat altogether from any public statements about their ESG goals, a trend known as "greenhushing" that was at the center of a recent D.C. court decision involving Coca-Cola, say Gonzalo Mon and Katie Rogers at Kelley Drye.
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Co-Tenancy Clause Pointers For Shopping Center Landlords
Large retail tenants often require co-tenancy provisions in their leases, entitling them to remedies if a shopping center's occupancy drops in certain ways, but landlords must draft these provisions carefully to avoid giving tenants too much control, says Gary Glick at Cox Castle.
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Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews
The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.
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Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools
A comparison of traditional algorithmic pricing models and those powered by generative artificial intelligence can help regulators and practitioners weigh the pros and cons of relying on large language models to price products or services, say Maxime Cohen at McGill University, and Tim Spittle and Jimmy Royer at Analysis Group.
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3 Patent Considerations For America's New Quantum Hub
Recent developments signal an incredibly bright future for Chicago as the new home of quantum computing, and it is crucial that these innovators — whose technology has the potential to transform many industries — prioritize intellectual property strategy, says Andrew Velzen at McDonnell Boehnen.
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Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls
Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.
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How Companies Are Approaching Insider Trading Policies
An analysis of insider trading policies recently disclosed by 49 S&P 500 companies under a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule reveals that while specific provisions vary from company to company, certain common themes are emerging, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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11 Patent Cases To Watch At Fed. Circ. And High Court
As we head into fall, there are 11 patent cases to monitor, touching on a range of issues that could affect patent strategy, such as biotech innovation, administrative rulemaking and patent eligibility, say Edward Lanquist and Wesley Barbee at Baker Donelson.
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.