Retail & E-Commerce

  • October 08, 2024

    J&J Greenwashes '100% Plant-Based' Wipes, Suit Says

    Johnson & Johnson customers hit the pharmaceutical giant with a putative false advertising class action in California federal court alleging its line of Aveeno makeup removing wipes are not 100% plant-based or environmentally friendly as the package claims.

  • October 08, 2024

    Google Says Rumble Suit Too Late To Join Ad Tech MDL

    Google wants to keep Rumble away from the consolidated litigation targeting the company's advertising placement technology dominance, telling the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation that the Canadian video-sharing service's May antitrust lawsuit comes too late and is too different to join in.

  • October 08, 2024

    Home Depot Says Tool Rental Suit Makes No Sense

    The Home Depot Inc. called on a Georgia federal judge to throw out a contracting company's claims it systematically overcharged tool rental program customers, arguing the company is trying to "reengineer" the tool-rental agreement in ways that "produce absurd results and otherwise make no sense."

  • October 08, 2024

    Pa. Justices Wary Of Linking Mask Tax To Consumer Harms

    Several justices of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court seemed cautious Tuesday about extending the state's consumer protection law liability to retailers who collect sales tax on tax-exempt items, pointing to the state's refund system as an existing form of relief for overcharged customers.

  • October 08, 2024

    Senior Renters Say Mass. Facility Charged Exorbitant Fees

    A proposed class of low-income, elderly residents at an assisted living facility have told a Massachusetts federal court the facility's owner and operators charged an illegal "ancillary fee" calculated to extract all but a $100 monthly allowance from residents.

  • October 08, 2024

    9th Circ. Affirms Atty Fee Reduction In Cathode Suit

    A three-judge Ninth Circuit panel on Monday upheld a lower court's decision to cut more than $2 million from plaintiff's firm Cooper & Kirkham's $3.45 million fee award in a multidistrict litigation settlement over alleged cathode ray tube price-fixing litigation.

  • October 07, 2024

    FTC's Amazon Monopolization Suit Largely Survives Dismissal

    The bulk of the Federal Trade Commission's landmark monopolization case against Amazon will go forward, a Washington federal judge held in a recently unsealed opinion that trimmed only a few state-law claims from the 20-count antitrust complaint challenging the retail giant's pricing practices.

  • October 07, 2024

    PetSmart Can't Shear Down Dog Food Trademark Suit

    A Kentucky federal judge declined PetSmart's bid to narrow a dog food company's intellectual property lawsuit against the pet products retailer, holding that the case qualifies for an exception that allows courts to intervene in pending matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • October 07, 2024

    Judge Presses AmEx On Arbitration Push For Merchants

    A Rhode Island judge on Monday expressed skepticism about American Express' claim that it could force a proposed antitrust class action targeting the company's swipe fee rules back into arbitration after the plaintiffs say it already defaulted on arbitration fees.

  • October 07, 2024

    Attys Want $20M Fees For Netting $64M Tuna Price-Fixing Deal

    Attorneys representing a class of purchasers who sued several canned tuna producers have asked a California federal judge for nearly $20 million in fees and costs associated with their recently inked $64 million settlement, saying the award is fair considering the effort the case took to prosecute and the complexity of the deal.

  • October 07, 2024

    McDonald's Accuses Big Beef Of Price-Fixing

    McDonald's Corp. sued Cargill, JBS, National Beef Packing Co., Swift Beef Co., Tyson and several subsidiaries in New York federal court Friday, accusing the major meat processing and packing companies of conspiring to fix beef prices, resulting in higher costs for the fast food behemoth.

  • October 07, 2024

    Pa. Supreme Court Snapshot: Mask Taxes, Pride Month Post

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court during its October argument session will weigh whether retailers improperly collecting sales tax on face masks, which were exempted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, amounts to "commerce" that could trigger the state's consumer protection law. ​

  • October 07, 2024

    Texas Ghost Gun Cos. Can't Keep Calif. Suit In Fed Court

    A California federal judge has sent back to state court a suit by the state alleging three Texas-based companies are trying to get around California's prohibition on equipment used primarily or exclusively to make "ghost guns," finding the companies haven't shown that there's diversity among the parties.

  • October 07, 2024

    Illinois Defends Swipe Fee Law As Banks Seek To Block It

    The Illinois attorney general has urged a federal judge to reject a preliminary injunction sought by banking trade groups that have sued to block a first-of-its-kind state law restricting swipe fees, arguing the industry groups' challenge fails on sovereign immunity and standing grounds.

  • October 07, 2024

    Amazon Breaking Wash. Noncompete Law, Workers Say

    A proposed class of Amazon warehouse and retail workers have accused the company of forcing them into noncompete clauses in violation of a Washington law aimed at protecting the mobility of lower wage workers.

  • October 07, 2024

    T-Mobile Contractor's $27M Phone Order Suit Gets Cancelled

    A Washington federal judge has again thrown out a mobile phone manufacturer's $27 million lawsuit accusing T-Mobile of reneging on purchase orders — this time, for good — ruling the company's revised claims are still at odds with the carrier's contractual right to cancel.   

  • October 07, 2024

    Vendor Says Rue21 Skipped $2M In Bills For Clothing

    A Los Angeles-based clothing supplier has sued Rue21, saying the fashion retailer stiffed it on $300,000 worth of invoices and is on the hook for $1.7 million to another vendor.

  • October 07, 2024

    Grocery Co. Won't Get High Court Review Of Gender Bias Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it won't review the revival of a gender bias case brought by a woman who said she was fired from her management role in a grocery store chain after her supervisor repeatedly said that management jobs were "too stressful" for women to handle.

  • October 07, 2024

    Target's '100% Pure' Avocado Oil Not So Pure, Suit Says

    Target customers hit the retailer with a putative class action in California federal court alleging its line of Good & Gather avocado oil is not 100% pure as the label suggests, and instead may contain additives like other lesser quality oils.

  • 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

    Apple, Amazon Urge Sanctions For Absent Antitrust Plaintiff

    A no-show named plaintiff should be sanctioned for ignoring discovery obligations in a putative antitrust class action over Apple and Amazon's third-party vendor restrictions for iPhone and iPad sales, the two tech giants have told a Washington federal judge.

  • October 07, 2024

    Cravath Guides Vista In $3.4B Sporting Goods, Ammo Deal

    Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP guided Vista Outdoor Inc. on its nearly $3.4 billion deal to sell off its business, in a two-part deal that includes an amended agreement to sell its ammunition business to Czechoslovak Group, or CSG, for more than $2.2 billion. 

  • October 07, 2024

    Justices Reject 5-Hour Energy's Attack On Unfair Pricing Test

    The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the maker of 5-Hour Energy's petition to review a Ninth Circuit test for deciding whether companies are in competition with one another in price discrimination cases Monday, allowing the circuit court's revival of a suit brought by wholesalers to stand.

  • October 07, 2024

    High Court Rejects Pleas To Hear 7 Patent Cases

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down seven petitions seeking review of decisions in patent cases, including appeals dealing with double patenting, patent eligibility and Patent Trial and Appeal Board procedures.

  • October 04, 2024

    Top 5 Supreme Court Cases To Watch This Fall

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear several cases in its October 2024 term that could further refine the new administrative law landscape, establish constitutional rights to gender-affirming care for transgender minors and affect how the federal government regulates water, air and weapons. Here, Law360 looks at five of the most important cases on the Supreme Court's docket so far.

Expert Analysis

  • Rare Robinson-Patman Ruling Exhibits Key Antitrust Risk

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    A rare federal court decision under the Robinson-Patman Act, which prohibits certain kinds of price discrimination, highlights the antitrust risks faced by certain suppliers and is likely to be cited by future plaintiffs and enforcement officials calling for renewed scrutiny of pricing and discounting practices, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Counterfeits At The Olympics Pose IP Challenges

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    With the 2024 Olympic Games quickly approaching, the proliferation of counterfeit Olympic merchandise poses a difficult challenge to the protection of intellectual property rights and the preservation of the Olympic brand's integrity, says Kimiya Shams at Devialet.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Crafting An Effective Workplace AI Policy After DOL Guidance

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    Employers should take proactive steps to minimize their liability risk after the U.S. Department of Labor released artificial intelligence guidance principles on May 16, reflecting the reality that companies must begin putting into place policies that will dictate their expectations for how employees will use AI, say David Disler and Courtnie Bolden at ​​​​​​​Porzio Bromberg.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • Momofuku Chili War May Chill Common Phrase TM Apps

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    Momofuku’s recent trademark battle over the “Chili Crunch” mark shows that over-enforcement when protecting exclusivity rights may backfire not just in the public eye, but with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as well, says Anthony Panebianco at Davis Malm.

  • Unlocking Blockchain Opportunities Amid Legal Uncertainty

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    Dozens of laws and legal precedents will come into the fore as Web3, metaverse and non-fungible tokens gain momentum, so organizations need to design their programs with a broader view of potential exposures — and opportunities, say Teresa Goody Guillén and Robert Musiala at BakerHostetler and Steve McNew at FTI Consulting.

  • 4 Ways Businesses Can Address Threat Of Mass Arbitration

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    Attorneys at DLA Piper examine the rise of mass arbitration in light of JAMS' new procedures and guidelines, and provide four steps e-commerce businesses can take when revising their dispute resolution provisions to maximize the chances those revisions will be held enforceable.

  • How Cannabis Rescheduling May Alter Paraphernalia Imports

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    The Biden administration's recent proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana use raises questions about how U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement policies may shift when it comes to enforcing a separate federal ban on marijuana accessory imports, says R. Kevin Williams at Clark Hill.

  • Trademark In Artistic Works 1 Year After Jack Daniel's

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    In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court's Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products ruling, courts have applied Jack Daniel's inconsistently to deny First Amendment protection to artistic works, providing guidance for dismissing trademark claims relating to film and TV titles, say Hardy Ehlers and Neema Sahni at Covington.

  • Live Nation May Shake It Off In A Long Game With The DOJ

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    Don't expect a swift resolution in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against Live Nation, but a long litigation, with the company likely to represent itself as the creator of a competitive ecosystem, and the government faced with explaining how the ticketing giant formed under its watch, say Thomas Kliebhan and Taylor Hixon at GRSM50.

  • Legal Battles Show Brands' Dilemma In Luxury Resale Trend

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    Recent litigation, such as Chanel's pending case against The RealReal, underscores the intricate balance luxury brands must strike between protecting their trademarks and embracing the burgeoning secondhand market that values sustainability, says Prachi Ajmera at Michelman & Robinson.

  • How Federal And State Microfiber Pollution Policy Is Evolving

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    Growing efforts to address synthetic microfiber pollution may create compliance and litigation issues for businesses in the textile and apparel industries, so companies should track developing federal and state legislation and regulation in this space, and should consider associated greenwashing risks, says Arie Feltman-Frank at Jenner & Block.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

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