Retail & E-Commerce

  • 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.

  • July 30, 2024

    Guess, Macy's Settle IP Suit Over Artists' Graffiti Work

    Guess Inc. and Macy's have settled a copyright action lodged by three prominent graffiti artists who accused the companies of exploiting their names and donning their work across T-shirts without permission, the parties told a California federal judge Tuesday.

  • July 30, 2024

    Amazon Must Recall Unsafe Third-Party Products, CPSC Says

    Amazon bears legal responsibility for recalling the hundreds of thousands of products sold by third-party sellers on its site that are defective or fail to meet safety standards, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found in an order issued Monday.

  • July 30, 2024

    Tribe Says Sovereignty 'Sea Change' At Stake In Tobacco Row

    A California tribe has opposed the U.S. government's bid to toss its suit fighting placement on a "non-compliant list" under a law that targets tobacco trafficking, telling a federal judge that forcing it to stop sales would cause a "sea change" in tribal sovereignty.

  • July 30, 2024

    Colombian Paper Bag Exporter Sues Over Antidumping Duties

    A Colombian exporter of paper shopping bags has sued the U.S. government, claiming that antidumping duties were improperly levied against it following allegations from a domestic industry group.

  • July 30, 2024

    ​​​​​​​Patent Award 10 Times Higher Than Request Found Excessive

    A New York federal judge Tuesday kept in place a jury's verdict holding that lighting fixture company Lutron Electronics Co. willfully infringed rival GeigTech East Bay's window shade patent, but said $34.6 million for damages is excessive and, instead, offered GeigTech $3.8 million or a new damages trial.

  • July 30, 2024

    FTC Seeks Temporary Kroger-Albertsons Block In Oregon

    The Federal Trade Commission is formally seeking a temporary block against Kroger's proposed purchase of Albertsons, arguing in an Oregon federal court brief unsealed Tuesday that the planned divestiture of 579 stores to a "failed" supermarket boss won't adequately protect consumers or union labor facing dramatically increased concentration.

  • July 30, 2024

    Fla. Court Won't Nix Award In Israeli Sunglasses Fight

    A Florida federal judge declined Monday to vacate an arbitral award issued to sunglasses maker Verso Israel LLC in a $3 million dispute with an Israeli pop star accused of undercutting a deal to promote the brand, ruling that the pop star's motion was filed far too late.

  • July 30, 2024

    Rite Aid Sued Over Data Breach That Affected 2.2M Customers

    Rite Aid was hit with a proposed class action Friday in Pennsylvania federal court accusing it of failing to safeguard more than 2.2 million of its customers' personal information associated with purchases of certain retail products made seven years ago, after hackers accessed its network using an employee's credentials.

  • July 30, 2024

    Starbucks Gets White Ex-Worker's Bias Suit Pared Down

    A New Jersey federal judge on Tuesday trimmed a white former Starbucks store manager's lawsuit alleging she was fired to help the coffee company save face amid accusations of discrimination against Black workers, ruling she filed several claims too late.

  • July 30, 2024

    OnlyFans Dupes Users With Chatty Impersonators, Suit Says

    OnlyFans knowingly allows professional "chatters" to impersonate content creators on the subscription platform, duping users into thinking they're having a direct conversation with an individual they paid to connect with and resulting in personal information being shared with that stranger, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.

  • July 30, 2024

    Legalization Foes Mount New Challenge To NY Pot Program

    A group of anti-cannabis activists renewed their challenge to New York's proposal to use public funds to help marijuana retailers launch their businesses, alleging in a new state court lawsuit that the policy violates federal law.

  • July 30, 2024

    Christie's Hit With Data Breach Suit Over Cyberattack

    Christie's Inc. is facing a proposed class action filed Monday in New York federal court alleging the auction house failed to protect the information of 500,000 clients stemming from a cyberattack carried out by Ransomhub, which claims it sold the information on the dark web after Christie's refused to pay up.

  • July 30, 2024

    Psychedelics And The Law: A Midyear Review

    A groundbreaking effort to secure federal approval for a psychedelic medication hit an unexpected snag. Religious groups asserting the right to access controlled substances had mixed success in federal court. Physicians seeking to administer psilocybin to terminally ill patients will finally have their day in court. Here are the major developments in psychedelics law from the first half of 2024.

  • July 30, 2024

    Trade Court OKs Erasure Of Duties On Chinese Xanthan Gum

    The U.S. Court of International Trade blessed the U.S. Department of Commerce's decision to wipe out antidumping duties on Chinese xanthan gum.

  • July 30, 2024

    Pot Cos. Can't Push RICO Claims Against Calif. City

    A California federal judge has thrown out racketeering claims by six cannabis companies that accuse the city of Cudahy of illegally assessing fees, saying that because Congress listed cultivation and sale of cannabis under the definition of racketeering, they can't recover damages.

  • July 30, 2024

    Dyson Can't Dispose Of SharkNinja Vacuum Patent Suit

    Dyson can't sweep away a patent infringement suit by Massachusetts-based competitor SharkNinja, a federal judge said Tuesday in denying the high-end vacuum maker's motion to dismiss the case.

  • July 30, 2024

    Pickleball Paddle Co. Says Error, Not Fraud, Led To 'False' Ads

    Joola-brand pickleball paddle maker Sport Squad Inc. is blasting accusations that it falsely marketed its equipment as approved for tournament play, instead blaming an administrative error that has given rise to a sprawling proposed class action.

  • July 30, 2024

    What Mass. Attys Will Be Watching In The 2nd Half Of 2024

    Two potentially sweeping Massachusetts high court rulings and a long-awaited employment bill lingering in the State House are among the issues Bay State attorneys say they are monitoring closely heading into the latter half of 2024.

  • July 29, 2024

    Live Nation Judge Tightens In-House Counsel's Access To Docs

    A New York federal judge imposed new restrictions Monday on Live Nation in-house counsel's access to documents and testimony from witnesses from its rivals in the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit, tightening a days-old two-tiered system after hearing concerns from those competitors.

  • July 29, 2024

    'Speculative' Harms Thwart Customs Broker's Bid For TRO

    The U.S. Court of International Trade refused to bar the U.S. Customs and Border Protection from requiring a customs broker to remedy alleged violations of two trade programs without first providing facts concerning the purported violations, saying the broker's claimed injuries were "speculative" at best.

  • July 29, 2024

    S. Africa Advances WTO Citrus Cases To Panel Stage

    South Africa is advancing legal challenges against measures the European Union imposed on citrus imports to guard against infestation by both a specific species of moth and a fungus that blemishes fruit rinds, calling for the establishment of two World Trade Organization dispute panels.

  • July 29, 2024

    Avon Hit With $24M Verdict For Janitor's Talc Exposure

    A Cook County Circuit Court jury has awarded more than $24 million to the family of a former janitor who worked in one of Avon Products' Illinois facilities in the 1980s, finding the company negligently exposed him to asbestos-contaminated talc that caused him to develop mesothelioma.

  • July 29, 2024

    CFPB Says Lease-To-Own Co. Acima Misled Vulnerable Users

    Lease-to-own fintech company Acima had customers paying more than twice the retail price of home goods by deceptively locking them into high-cost "virtual rent-to-own" financing plans, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alleged in a new lawsuit filed Friday in Utah federal court.

  • July 29, 2024

    Conn. Justices OK Vrbo Host's Short-Term House Rentals

    A divided Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Vrbo host in Branford was allowed to rent out his property to vacationers under a set of regulations passed in 1994, before the local zoning board changed the rules in 2018 to ban his activities.

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.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • 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.

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