Retail & E-Commerce

  • July 12, 2024

    2nd Circ. Revives 'Whole Wheat Flour' Cracker Label Suit

    Advertising which emphasized "organic whole wheat flour" in a box of crackers when white flour was the primary ingredient was misleading and "arguably false," according to the Second Circuit, which revived a lawsuit accusing Back to Nature Foods Co. of tricking its customers.

  • July 12, 2024

    Valve Says Too Much Game Publisher Variety For Class Cert.

    Online gaming giant Valve is fighting certification of a class of some 32,000 gaming publishers that distributed their titles through the company's Steam platform, arguing those publishers have nothing in common to assert any commonality in the alleged creation of a pricing floor that helped sustain Valve's 30% commissions.

  • July 12, 2024

    Staffing Agency Accused Of Misclassifying Workers

    A staffing agency misclassified customer service agents as independent contractors and failed to pay them for all the hours they worked, according to a proposed class and collective action filed in Colorado federal court.

  • July 12, 2024

    Republican Presses Tai For Info On E-Commerce Shift

    Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., pressed the Biden administration's top trade official for more information on why the president withdrew from digital trade talks at the World Trade Organization, threatening "compulsory action" if she failed to provide meaningful answers.

  • July 12, 2024

    T-Mobile Wins Time To Defend Arb. Award In 'SIM Swap' Suit

    T-Mobile USA has won more time to defend an arbitration award it won after a customer claimed that lax security measures caused him to lose nearly $240,000 in cryptocurrency, according to a Florida federal court order.

  • July 12, 2024

    Wayfair Says Contractor On 1st Megastore Stiffed Vendors

    Online retailer Wayfair LLC says the company it hired to oversee the build-out of its first "large-format" brick and mortar location failed to pay multiple subcontractors on the project, forcing Wayfair to pay the subcontractors directly to ensure that the store opened on time, according to a complaint filed Friday.

  • July 12, 2024

    Midyear Report: Taking Stock Of Sports Betting Enforcement

    The first six months of 2024 saw no shortage of action in the enforcement of sports betting rules, highlighted by a bombshell fraud case ensnaring baseball's biggest star and a messy betting scandal that saw a fringe NBA rotation player banned from the game for life.

  • July 12, 2024

    Contracting Co. Sues Home Depot Over Tool Rental Charges

    A Philadelphia-based contracting company has hit Home Depot USA Inc. with a proposed class action in Georgia, claiming the home improvement chain has systematically overcharged the customers of its tool rental program.

  • July 12, 2024

    Conn. Landlord Loses COVID-Era Lease Fight With Eatery

    A Connecticut landlord did not tender an "unequivocal ultimatum" booting an eatery from a parcel of property, an appellate panel ruled Friday, finding that since the landlord vacillated between kicking the tenant off its Wallingford land and accepting payments, a 2020 eviction notice had no effect.

  • July 12, 2024

    Judge OKs Another Penalty Duty Over Chinese Loan Program

    The U.S. Department of Commerce justifiably penalized a Chinese aluminum importer over Beijing's refusal to disclose information on an export loan program, the U.S. Court of International Trade said, finding the importer hadn't filled the gap in the record.

  • July 12, 2024

    Dick's, Customer Want Golf Net Suit Stayed For Mediation

    Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. and a man who claims he suffered permanent eye damage because of a defective golf practice net bought from the company are asking a Georgia federal judge to keep his litigation on hold while they pursue mediation.

  • July 12, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Ropes & Gray, Cravath, Latham

    In this Week's Taxation with Representation, Paramount Global merges with Skydance Media, Devon Energy acquires Grayson Mill Energy's Williston Basin oil and gas business, Ryan acquires Altus Group Ltd.'s property tax business, and Bain Capital buys Envestnet Inc.

  • July 12, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen the owner of the Lambretta scooter brand Innocenti SA embroiled in a trademark dispute with a property developer, a clash between two art dealers over a collection of tapestries, Telecom Italia pursue a debt claim against a competing telecommunications company, and performing arts trade union Equity hit a casting directory for charging unfair subscription fees on actors. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • July 11, 2024

    Kroger Asks To Delay At Least Part Of FTC Challenge

    Kroger and Albertsons are asking an administrative law judge from the Federal Trade Commission to pause the evidentiary portion of the agency's in-house case against the supermarket giants' merger, saying the companies are facing too many overlapping cases in different venues to adequately prepare and present their case.

  • July 11, 2024

    Apple Ducks iPhone Web App Antitrust Suit, For Now

    Consumers will have to rejigger their proposed antitrust class action alleging Apple anticompetitively prevents iPhones from running web-based apps that don't need to be downloaded, after a California federal judge said Thursday that they've failed to show a conspiracy or connect the dots from company rules to customer injury.

  • July 11, 2024

    Western Union Owes $8M For Soured Deal, Vendor Says

    A Taiwan-based manufacturer of point-of-sale devices launched a lawsuit against Western Union in Colorado federal court, accusing it of ordering about 25,000 POS terminals worth roughly $8 million and then backing out of the transaction and refusing to pay after the vendor had already started making the devices.

  • July 11, 2024

    SF Fed Sues Troubled PPP Lender, Founder For Nearly $67M

    The San Francisco arm of the Federal Reserve has sued one of the largest Paycheck Protection Program lenders in Puerto Rico federal court seeking to recover nearly $67 million, alleging the lender has defaulted on the terms of roughly $4.3 billion in credit it advanced for PPP loans.

  • July 11, 2024

    Commerce Aims To Codify Duty Probe Practices For NMEs

    The U.S. Department of Commerce proposed regulations on Thursday to formalize practices developed since the 1990s to assess duties on imports from nonmarket economies, including denying lower tariff rates to businesses determined to be heavily controlled by their governments.

  • July 11, 2024

    Pfizer's $50M EpiPen Deal Gets Final OK In Antitrust Suit

    Pfizer is officially out of a lawsuit accusing it of working with Mylan Pharmaceuticals to inflate the price of the popular auto-injecting emergency allergy medication EpiPen after a Kansas federal judge gave the $50 million settlement his final seal of approval.

  • July 11, 2024

    Attys Say Milberg Must Pay For Fraud In Visa, Mastercard MDL

    Class counsel representing plaintiffs in long-running multidistrict litigation accusing Visa and Mastercard of charging improper merchant fees have called for sanctions against Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman LLC, laying out arguments for a fee reimbursement after the firm admitted to mistakenly registering fraudulent clients.

  • July 11, 2024

    Dollar General Pays $12M Over DOL's Safety Violation Claims

    Discount retail chain Dollar General will pay $12 million to resolve alleged workplace safety violations at its stores nationwide, including obstructed emergency exits and unsafe storage, and will implement abatement measures like expanding storage capacity and reducing overstock, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday.

  • July 11, 2024

    Legal Foundation Urges Justices To Limit RICO's Civil Scope

    The Washington Legal Foundation on Thursday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Second Circuit decision allowing a trucker to sue three CBD companies under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, saying the circuit court ignored RICO's structure and purpose.

  • July 11, 2024

    Accounting Firm Contests Blame For Client's $2M Tax Bill

    An accounting firm maintains it had no duty to inform an online flower bulb retailer about a major change in tax law stemming from the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 Wayfair decision, telling the North Carolina Business Court that advising on such topics wasn't within the scope of its duties.

  • July 11, 2024

    Premium Baby Bottles Leach Microplastics, Suit Says

    A proposed class action filed against Newell Brands Inc. this week alleges that the company's Nuk brand of baby bottles, advertised as BPA-free, are, in fact, prone to leaching millions of particles of microplastics through routine use.

  • July 11, 2024

    Pa. Man Admits To Dick's Sporting Goods Insider Trading

    A Pennsylvania man who netted nearly $825,000 in profits from Dick's Sporting Goods securities has pled guilty to insider trading using tips he obtained from a company employee, according to a Thursday announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Expert Analysis

  • Anticipating Disputes In Small Biz Partnerships And LLCs

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    In light of persistently high failures of small business partnerships and limited liability companies, mediator Frank Burke discusses proactive strategies for protecting and defining business rights and responsibilities, as well as reactive measures for owners.

  • The Often Overlooked NY Foreclosure Notice Requirements

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    As multifamily real estate defaults mount, New York foreclosing parties should be aware of pitfalls and perils that can await the litigant who is not prepared to ensure adherence with tenant notice requirements under the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law, say Christopher Gorman and John Muldoon at Rosenberg & Estis.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Antitrust In Retail: The Meaning Of 'Accessible Luxury'

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    In order for the Federal Trade Commission to block a deal that would put six "accessible luxury" brands, including Coach and Michael Kors, under one roof, the agency will need to prove that this category is distinct from the true luxury or mass-market categories, says David Kully at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • In Biz Account Breaches, Look Beyond The Payment Platform

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    A business's legal path to recovering funds after bad actors access a payment platform account and engage in unauthorized transactions can lead into murky legal territory where liability is unclear, and pursuing the payment platform itself will be an uphill, if not insurmountable, struggle, say Edward Marshall and Morgan Harrison at Arnall Golden.

  • A Look At Calif. Contract Considerations In Fiji Water Ruling

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    A California appellate court's recent decision in Carolina Beverage v. Fiji Water, that a party may not seek contractual recovery on the basis of constructive termination, offers a look at contract construction and other considerations on negotiating distribution agreements, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • Making Plans For BNPL Consumer Protection Compliance

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    With an interpretive rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau set to require buy-now, pay-later providers to implement credit card-like consumer safeguards by the end of July, loan providers must solidify their federally compliant customer dispute resolution and disclosure procedures before the newly emboldened bureau's deadline, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Tailoring Compliance Before AI Walks The Runway

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    Fashion industry players that adopt artificial intelligence to propel their businesses forward should consider ways to minimize its perceived downsides, including potential job displacements and algorithmic biases that may harm diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, say Jeffrey Greene and Ivory Djahouri at Foley & Lardner.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

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