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Retail & E-Commerce
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August 01, 2024
Conn. Defense Attys Can Weigh In On Baby Injury Case
The Connecticut Supreme Court will allow a group of defense attorneys to file a brief in car seat litigation in federal court that could affect whether companies can be held liable under state law for the absence of a child's relationship with their parents.
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August 01, 2024
TTAB Won't Allow Retail TM For Amazon Affiliate Site
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in a precedential decision Wednesday upheld a refusal to register a trademark to an Amazon affiliate site that provides referrals but is not actually engaged in retail, delivering a blow to the owner of a culinary website who earns commissions for directing consumers to products sold by third parties.
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August 01, 2024
Alter Egos Say Rival Pool Co. Jumped The Gun On Discovery
The alter egos of bankrupt pool supply company Blueworks Corp. have rebuffed claims that they "simply refuse to answer" requests for discovery from rival Hayward Industries Inc. in its quest to secure a $16 million false advertising and deceptive trade practices judgment.
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August 01, 2024
Apple Says DOJ Is Looking For 'Judicial Redesign' Of IPhone
Apple Inc. urged a New Jersey federal judge Thursday to throw out the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit, calling claims of restricted app access meant to lock users into the iPhone as a government effort to control protocols the company contends are needed to ensure security and reliability.
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August 01, 2024
Merchandising Co. Says Ex-VP Sunk $47M Deal With Lowe's
An ex-merchandising company executive exploited trade secrets to sabotage a $47 million deal with home improvement giant Lowe's Cos. Inc., the executive's former employer has alleged in a federal lawsuit in North Carolina.
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August 01, 2024
JPML Greenlights Shale Oil Price-Fixing MDL In New Mexico
A group of U.S. shale oil producers will have to defend claims that they conspired with OPEC to artificially inflate gas prices in New Mexico federal court after the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized at least five suits there Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
JPML Won't Form MDL Of 35 Acne Product Benzene Suits
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Thursday declined to consolidate 35 suits alleging Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., CVS Pharmacy Inc., Target Corp. and others sold acne products that could break down into the carcinogen benzene, saying they don't have enough in common to warrant an MDL.
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August 01, 2024
Chipotle Bundled 'Service Fee' With Tax To Hide It, Suit Says
Chipotle customers filed a proposed false advertising class action in California federal court Wednesday accusing the fast-casual Mexican chain of tacking on secret "eye-popping service fees" bundled with a "tax" for online delivery orders at the end of the checkout process that purportedly ends up in Chipotle's own coffers.
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August 01, 2024
Court Won't Let Glycine Co. Use Remand To Fix Data Issue
The U.S. Court of International Trade won't let a Japanese glycine producer correct a data issue that raised its duty liability, saying the company should have raised the issue earlier instead of during a remand proceeding.
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August 01, 2024
Missouri Gov. Announces Ban On Psychoactive Hemp Wares
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday announced a ban on the sale of intoxicating consumable cannabis products manufactured outside the state's regulated adult-use marijuana market, marking the latest effort by a state to rein in psychoactive wares derived from federally legal hemp.
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August 01, 2024
Beanbag Chair Maker Offers $615K To End Conn. Stock Suit
A Connecticut-based maker of beanbag chairs and modular sofas that in 2019 sought to raise $100 million through a secondary share offering has asked a federal judge to approve a $615,000 settlement with a group of investors angry over alleged financial moves that caused a stock price dip.
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August 01, 2024
Pot Co. Says City Ignored Order To Review App In $14M Suit
A California cannabis business is suing the city of Chula Vista for nearly $14 million, saying it failed to properly review and score its application for a cannabis license despite orders to do so from a state appeals court.
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August 01, 2024
Court Won't Stop FTC Judges In H&R Block False Ad Fight
The Federal Trade Commission can proceed with its hearing against H&R Block accusing the tax preparation firm of false advertising, a Missouri federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting the company's argument that the agency's administrative law judges lack constitutional authority to preside.
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July 31, 2024
Live Nation Says In-House Attys Can't Access DOJ Docs
As it warned would be the case, Live Nation is telling a New York federal judge that it has no in-house counsel that will be able to meet his rules on counsel access to highly confidential material in the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust suit against the live events company.
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July 31, 2024
Discover Could Pay $200M In Card 'Misclassification' Fines
Discover Financial Services told investors on Wednesday that it could face $200 million in potential regulatory penalties over its past "misclassification" of certain credit card accounts, an issue that's also led to class action litigation and other scrutiny for the card giant.
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July 31, 2024
Tampax, Kotex Tampons Hid Unsafe Lead Levels, Suits Say
Kimberly-Clark and Procter & Gamble were each slapped with putative class actions in California federal court Tuesday claiming that some tampon products contain toxic levels of lead — and that the information was hidden from consumers.
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July 31, 2024
GoDaddy Asks To Have Tech Co.'s Antitrust Suit Culled
Domain registrar GoDaddy is asking a Virginia federal court to knock out half of a lawsuit accusing it of blackballing a tech company from its platform, saying that after failing to secure a licensing deal, the suing company "has now turned to antitrust law to try to compel a result it could not obtain through arms-length negotiation."
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July 31, 2024
Apple, Google Dropped From IP Suit Over PUBG Knockoffs
A California federal judge has agreed to dismiss video game publisher Krafton's copyright suit accusing Google and Apple of distributing infringing versions of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds on their respective platforms, while Krafton and YouTube said they're close to resolving claims over an infringing film containing game footage.
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July 31, 2024
NewAge Execs Deny Inflating Military Contract Prospects
Executives and board members of the defunct beverage company NewAge Inc. hit back at investors' allegations that they lied about having a deal to sell their products in military commissaries, saying the investors had failed to show that material misstatements were made.
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July 31, 2024
EPA Floats Ban On Many Uses Of Carcinogen 1-BP
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed banning all consumer uses of the carcinogen 1-bromopropane — except in insulation — as well as some industrial and commercial uses.
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July 31, 2024
5th Circ. Pause Spells Doom For DOT Airline Fees Rule
The Fifth Circuit gave the airline industry a temporary reprieve from a new U.S. Department of Transportation rule requiring carriers to more clearly disclose add-on fees upfront, a decision that stands to embolden opponents of the Biden administration's more aggressive consumer-focused policies.
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July 31, 2024
Philip Morris Nicotine Pouches Are Deceptive, Lawsuit Claims
Philip Morris violated advertising and trade practices laws by selling "highly addictive" nicotine products designed and packaged to resemble breath mints and deceptively telegraphed that the tobacco-free pouches were healthier than cigarettes, according to a proposed class action in Connecticut federal court.
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July 31, 2024
Minn. Shopping Center's $97M Value Upheld By State Justices
A Minnesota shopping center was correctly valued for tax purposes at nearly $97 million, the state Supreme Court said Wednesday, rejecting the property owner's argument that the valuation should consider a calculation of effective rent instead of market rent.
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July 31, 2024
VW To Give Back Pay To Mexico Factory Workers, USTR Says
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has announced a remediation plan at Volkswagen's largest manufacturing plant in Mexico under which the carmaker will reinstate eight workers with back pay and adopt a statement of neutrality toward employees associating with unions.
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July 31, 2024
Judge Refuses To Rethink Injury Firm Conflict Of Interest DQ
A law firm was properly disqualified from a family's design defect lawsuit against Home Depot USA Inc. and makers of a lawn mower, a New Jersey federal judge has ruled, confirming a prior finding that a conflict of interest arose between the father and daughter when the companies countersued the father.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Nebraska Should Abandon Proposed Digital Ad Tax
If passed, Nebraska’s recently proposed Advertising Services Tax Act, which would finance property tax relief by imposing a 7.5% gross revenue tax on advertising services, would cause a politically risky shift of tax burdens from landowners to local businesses and consumers, and would most certainly face litigation, say attorneys at McDermott.
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What Retailers Should Note In Calif. Web Tracking Suits
As retailers face a deluge of class actions alleging the use of conventional web analytic tools violate wiretapping and eavesdropping provisions of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, uncovering the path toward a narrow interpretation of the law will largely depend on how these cases proceed, say Matthew Pearson and Kareem Salem at BakerHostetler.
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Chancery's Sears Ruling Clarifies Stockholder Duties
In a recent landmark decision involving stockholders of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, the Delaware Chancery Court addressed for the first time what precise duties a controlling stockholder owes, highlighting that controller interference with board action is not per se invalid and that enhanced scrutiny is a reasonableness test, say Christopher Chuff and Taylor Bartholomew at Troutman Pepper.
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What's At Stake In High Court NLRB Injunction Case
William Baker at Wigdor examines the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to hear Starbucks v. McKinney — where it will consider a long-standing circuit split over the standard for evaluating National Labor Relations Board injunction bids — and explains why the justices’ eventual decision, either way, is unlikely to be a significant blow to labor.
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The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift
As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.
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5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money
As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.
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Expediting Psychedelics Approvals In The US And Canada
Accelerated regulatory pathways for psychedelics in the U.S. and Canada play a pivotal role in the progression of drugs, devices and novel therapies toward commercialization, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell, and Ana Dukic and Sabrina Ramkellawan at AxialBridge.
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Directors And Officers Face Unique AI-Related Risks
As privacy, intellectual property and discrimination lawsuits focusing on artificial intelligence increase, corporate directors and officers must stay aware of associated risks, including those related to compliance, litigation and cybersecurity, says Jonathan Meer at Wilson Elser.
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Series
Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.
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New Strain Of Web Tracking Suits Pose Risks For Retailers
Amid an ongoing surge of California state and federal lawsuits that are using novel theories to allege companies used certain recording technologies to illegally track website users, retailers should take steps to develop a potential argument that customers consented to any alleged uses of these devices, say attorneys at Benesch.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.
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Ex-OpenSea Staffer Case May Clarify When Info Is Property
In considering the appeal of a former OpenSea manager’s wire fraud conviction in U.S. v. Chastain, the Second Circuit may soon provide guidance about whether economic information is traditional property in certain insider trading prosecutions — a theory of fraud that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly narrowed, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Unraveling The Bundled Benefits Of Retail Memberships
The recent prevalence of paid retail memberships and the associated findings of a consumer survey suggest that assessing consumer preferences and welfare may be important when considering resolution mechanisms in antitrust contexts, say Rosa M. Abrantes-Metz at Berkeley Research Group, Mame Maloney at The Brattle Group and Jeff Brazell at the University of Utah.
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Opinion
Stakeholder Amici Should Be Heard In Russian Trade Case
Although the U.S. Court of International Trade recently rejected U.S. Steel's amicus brief in NLMK Pennsylvania v. U.S., other industry stakeholders should seek to appear — and the court should allow it because additional perspectives will lead to a more informed ruling, say attorneys Jeffrey Shapiro and Michael Andrews.
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Workplace Speech Policies Limit Legal And PR Risks
As workers increasingly speak out on controversies like the 2024 elections and the Israel-Hamas war, companies should implement practical workplace expression policies and plans to protect their brands and mitigate the risk of violating federal and state anti-discrimination and free speech laws, say attorneys at McDermott.