Retail & E-Commerce

  • October 30, 2024

    O'Neill Brand Owner Says La Jolla Flouted Pre-Sale Deal

    The owner and maker of O'Neill sportswear accessories is suing La Jolla Sport in California federal court over claims it breached a longstanding agreement that requires the company to provide certain due diligence information so the plaintiff can finalize a planned sale of the O'Neill brand.

  • October 30, 2024

    Hershey's Candy Wrappers Contain PFAS, Spooky Suit Says

    A chocolate lover has sued The Hershey Co. in Pennsylvania federal court just days before Halloween alleging the packaging of its milk chocolate bars and Kisses, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Reece's Pieces and KitKat Bars contain dangerous "forever chemicals."

  • October 30, 2024

    Pot Co. Cookies Sued Over Breach Of Settlement Agreement

    A licensee of the Cookies brand of cannabis products is suing the parent company and its affiliates in Los Angeles court, alleging they have breached a recent settlement agreement by refusing to pay for the licensee's remaining Cookies-branded products.

  • October 29, 2024

    Sporting Goods Chain Beats Suit By Man Shot With Stolen Gun

    A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday affirmed the dismissal of a suit seeking to hold Academy Sports liable after a man was shot by a gun stolen from the store, saying a federal law shielding firearms dealers from third-party criminal acts did indeed apply.

  • October 29, 2024

    Lovesac To Pay SEC $1.5M Fine In Accounting Fraud Case

    Beanbag chair maker Lovesac has agreed to pay $1.5 million to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to settle allegations that some of the company's former executives conspired to cover up an accounting debacle over how it recorded what's known as last-mile shipping costs.

  • October 29, 2024

    Canadian Co. Owes $7.5M Default Judgment In Toxic Mud Suit

    A Georgia federal judge has awarded a nationwide class of customers more than $7.5 million in damages in litigation alleging Canadian company BlackOxygen sold them mud-based nutritional supplements containing harmful levels of toxic heavy metals after the company failed to respond to their claims.

  • October 29, 2024

    NY Judge Says Law Sealing Illicit Pot Shops Unconstitutional

    A New York state judge ruled Tuesday that a newly enacted New York City law empowering municipal officials to shut down stores selling unlicensed marijuana products is unconstitutional.

  • October 29, 2024

    Rumble Pushes To Join Google Ad Tech MDL

    Video-sharing site Rumble has told the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation that its case accusing Google of monopolizing key digital advertising technology should be included in the consolidated litigation pending against the tech giant in New York.

  • October 29, 2024

    Merger Guides In Fashion As Court Pauses Handbag Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission scored a major win last week with a court order pausing the planned $8.5 billion merger between the owners of Coach and Michael Kors, but the ruling stopped short of fully embracing enforcers' recent attempts to influence merger law.

  • October 29, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Calls Plastic Co.'s IP Retrial Objection 'Frivolous'

    A panel of the Federal Circuit said Tuesday a plastic packaging manufacturer is making a "frivolous" objection to how a Massachusetts federal judge decided to set up a retrial scheduled next week over whether patents covering a kind of tamper-resistant container are invalid.

  • October 29, 2024

    US Finalizes Investment Ban On Chinese Emerging Tech

    The Biden administration finalized plans to ban U.S. investors from funding emerging Chinese technology, saying the restrictions are necessary to prevent Beijing from advancing technologies critical to its military modernization campaign. 

  • October 29, 2024

    Epic Urges 9th Circ. Not To Pause Google Play Store Fixes

    Epic Games Inc. has fired back against Google's request the Ninth Circuit issue an emergency stay pausing a lower court's antitrust injunction that would require Google to open up its Play Store to competing app stores, slamming Google's arguments as "scattershot," misleading and legally unfounded.

  • October 29, 2024

    Pet Toy Co. Parent Says Management Rights Fight Isn't Stale

    The parent company for pet toy maker Kong Co. has urged a Colorado state judge not to cast aside a suit seeking a declaration of its management rights in Kong, arguing in a brief that the dispute is alive even if its complaint raises the past.

  • October 29, 2024

    Developer Can't Revive COVID-19 App Suit Against Apple

    A California federal judge declined to revive an antitrust suit against Apple for not distributing a COVID-19 tracking app on its app store, saying a Ninth Circuit denial of the app maker's appeal after the case was dismissed in district court "is the law" of the case.

  • October 29, 2024

    Google Seeks To Toss Yelp's 'Self-Preferencing' Case

    Google urged a California federal court Monday to toss Yelp's case accusing the search giant of giving preference to its own local search offerings over Yelp and others, saying the review site has been "peddling these same claims to antitrust authorities around the world for over a decade."

  • October 29, 2024

    2 Firms Tapped To Lead Five Below Investor Suit

    Berger Montague PC and Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP will represent a proposed class of investors in a suit alleging that teen-focused retail chain Five Below overstated its growth prospects, then saw trading prices crater when it announced that its sales expectations fell short.

  • October 29, 2024

    Court Closure Sought Over Taunts By Florida Gun Shop Owner

    The Connecticut Attorney General's Office urged a state judge to protect the identity of its investigator in filings and to close the courtroom during their testimony at trial in a lawsuit alleging a Florida company deceptively sold do-it-yourself gun kits, saying anonymity is needed because of the owner's online taunts.

  • October 29, 2024

    EBay, Ex-Execs Deny Fault For Harassment Of Bloggers

    Online retailer eBay and a group of former executives say a 2019 harassment campaign against a pair of Massachusetts bloggers was solely the work of rogue employees, urging a Massachusetts federal court to rule they're not liable over the episode.

  • October 29, 2024

    Akerman Hires 2 IP Partners From Kilpatrick In NYC

    Akerman LLP announced Monday that two former partners at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP are the latest additions to its intellectual property practice group in New York City.

  • October 29, 2024

    1st Circ. Scraps Securities Fraud Case Against 3D Printing Co.

    The First Circuit has affirmed a ruling throwing out a securities fraud lawsuit against 3D printing business Desktop Metal, finding the investor behind the action abandoned one of her claims and failed to adequately allege the other. 

  • October 28, 2024

    Apple Withholding Docs In Monopoly Row, Epic Says

    Epic Games and Apple continued on in a discovery dispute in Epic's suit accusing Apple of monopolizing the iOS app distribution and in-app payment processing markets, with the video game company saying in a joint letter filed Friday that Apple is withholding "tens of thousands" of responsive documents.

  • October 28, 2024

    Handbag Cos. Turn To 2nd Circ. Over Pause On $8.5B Merger

    The owners of Michael Kors and Coach plan to ask the Second Circuit to review a New York federal judge's order granting the Federal Trade Commission's bid to halt an $8.5 billion merger between the companies while the agency conducts an in-house merger challenge, according to a notice filed Monday.

  • October 28, 2024

    Hermes Wants Antitrust Suit Over Birkins Tossed For Good

    Hermes again urged a California federal judge on Friday to toss a proposed class action accusing the French luxury design house of tying its exclusive Birkin and Kelly bags to the purchase of other items, saying the plaintiffs did not come close to proving antitrust law violations in a complaint now twice amended.

  • October 28, 2024

    Investment Firm's Head Indicted For Alleged Ponzi Scheme

    Federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment accusing a Utah man of carrying out a Ponzi scheme to embezzle millions of dollars from private investors who believed they were contributing to restaurant ventures.

  • October 28, 2024

    Philip Morris Nicotine Pouch Suit Not About Labels, Court Told

    A lawsuit accusing Philip Morris International of misleading customers of its ZYN nicotine pouches asserts claims under business practices and false advertising statutes, but not the federal labeling law the tobacco giant is invoking in its dismissal bid, the suing consumer told a Connecticut federal court. 

Expert Analysis

  • 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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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 36 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.

  • 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.

  • How Uyghur Forced Labor Law Affects Importing Companies

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    Amid a growing focus on forced labor in supply chains and a likely increase in enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, companies may face costly import delays unless they develop and implement compliance best practices, say Thad McBride and Lauren Gammer at Bass Berry.

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