Retail & E-Commerce

  • March 10, 2025

    Whole Foods Workers Can't Have Class Cert. In Bonus Suit

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge Monday refused to certify a class of past and present Whole Foods employees who accuse the grocery chain of gaming its employee bonus program, saying there are too many individualized questions to resolve the plaintiffs' claims on a classwide basis.

  • March 10, 2025

    Epic, Apple Duel Over App-Store Injunction Compliance

    Epic Games urged a California federal judge to find that Apple violated her order blocking the tech giant from enacting App Store rules that prevent developers from steering users to alternative payment methods while Apple argued in its own filing that it complied as it "reasonably understood" the injunction.

  • March 10, 2025

    J. Crew Wins Confirmation Of Ex-GC's Arbitration Loss

    A New York federal judge confirmed an arbitrator's ruling Monday that found J. Crew hadn't fired its former legal chief, Maria DiLorenzo, in retaliation for her complaints about colleagues' discriminatory comments about her hearing loss.

  • March 10, 2025

    Starbucks Faces Suit Over Fatal Patio Crash After Panel Flip

    Starbucks owed a duty of reasonable care to a patron who was struck by a rogue pickup truck while sitting on the patio of a Salt Lake City area store, the Utah Court of Appeals has ruled, reviving her family's lawsuit against the Seattle-based coffee company.

  • March 10, 2025

    Nike Receives $355K From Lululemon In Shoe Patent Trial

    A New York federal jury has found that athletic apparel maker Lululemon infringed one Nike footwear manufacturing patent but did not infringe a second, and awarded Nike $355,450 in damages, well below the $2.8 million the shoe giant was seeking.

  • March 10, 2025

    Starbucks Owes Up To $125M For Hot Water Burns, Jury Told

    Starbucks should pay as much as $125 million for permanent disfigurement to a takeout driver that "changed who he is as a person," a jury heard Monday, after finding last week that the coffee giant was to blame for the spill of scalding water.

  • March 10, 2025

    Tech Co. Beats Shareholder Suit Over Phony Amazon Reviews

    A New York federal judge dismissed a securities class action against Chinese software company Tuya Inc., ruling that the registration statement for Tuya's initial public offering was not misleading for failing to disclose that some of its merchant customers procured fake reviews on Amazon.

  • March 10, 2025

    Adidas Seeks Injunction In Fashion Nova Trademark Row

    Adidas is seeking a preliminary injunction against Fashion Nova, accusing the popular fast-fashion brand in a California federal lawsuit of infringing on its iconic three-stripe trademark and noting that the company has "a penchant for overlooking" intellectual property rights.

  • March 10, 2025

    Morton Buildings Will Pay $4 Million To End ESOP Fight

    Morton Buildings Inc. has agreed to shell out $4 million to end a proposed class action in Illinois federal court alleging the company's directors and Argent Trust Co. sold private stock to Morton workers' employee stock ownership plan at an inflated price.

  • March 10, 2025

    Kia Hit With Pa. Class Claims Over Engine Defects In 2 Models

    Kia has been hit with a proposed class action in Pennsylvania federal court alleging that the automaker's recall for more than 137,000 Kia Soul and Seltos models from between 2021 and 2023 didn't go far enough to remedy damages felt by vehicle owners over engine issues.

  • March 10, 2025

    DOJ Accuses Live Nation Of 'Delay Tactics' In Antitrust Suit

    U.S. Department of Justice officials have urged a New York federal judge to issue an order compelling Live Nation Entertainment Inc. to produce documents held by several executives, accusing the company of using "delay tactics" in the lawsuit alleging anticompetitive behavior since merging with Ticketmaster Entertainment LLC in 2010.

  • March 10, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Skeptical Of USPTO's Refusal To Register F-Word TM

    A Federal Circuit panel appeared skeptical of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's reasoning for rejecting an application to register the F-word as a mark because of its widespread use, with one judge telling the government's attorney a couple of times during arguments Monday, "I don't understand what you're saying."

  • March 10, 2025

    Amazon Worker Can't Seal Military Leave Settlement

    A worker who settled his suit accusing Amazon of not promoting him because of his military service can't file the deal under seal, according to a Washington federal judge's Monday ruling — which also said the agreement doesn't need to hit the docket.

  • March 10, 2025

    Iowa Opposes Vapers' Bid To Block E-Cig Regulation

    The state of Iowa on Monday urged a federal court to deny a motion from a group of vape interests seeking to block enforcement of a newly enacted law prohibiting the sale of e-cigarette products that lack federal authorization.

  • March 10, 2025

    Hagens Berman Comms With Ghosting Client Kept Privileged

    Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP doesn't have to turn over texts and emails with a client who disappeared from a putative class action against Apple and Amazon, a Washington federal judge has ruled, despite the tech giants' accusations that the firm lied about those communications.

  • March 10, 2025

    Patent Exec Seeks Defamation Win Over Atty's Statements

    A patent-licensing company executive has asked a Florida federal court to rule in his favor on a defamation claim against a Baker Botts LLP attorney representing Starbucks in a Texas patent case and toss a counterclaim from the attorney, saying her abuse-of-process allegation "reads like a failed exercise in ontological gymnastics."

  • March 10, 2025

    Amazon Workers Want Partial Win In COVID Screenings Suit

    A class of Amazon employees urged a Pennsylvania federal court to partially grant them a win in their suit accusing the e-commerce giant of forcing workers to undergo unpaid COVID-19 screenings, saying the state's high court has already ruled that this time is compensable.

  • March 10, 2025

    Nonbinary Ex-Workers Ask To Intervene In Dropped EEOC Suit

    Two nonbinary former Lush Cosmetics workers asked a California judge to let them intervene in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming the business let a manager sexually harass them, after the agency dropped the case following an executive order from President Donald Trump.

  • March 07, 2025

    Photographer Sanctioned For Skipping Deposition In IP Case

    A federal judge in the Southern District of New York has issued sanctions over skipped depositions, among other conduct, by the plaintiff in a copyright lawsuit over a photo of actor Jonah Hill that appeared on a fashion retail website. 

  • March 07, 2025

    Trump DOJ Agrees: Google Must Sell Chrome Browser

    The Department of Justice on Friday reiterated to a D.C. federal judge that Google should have to divest the Chrome browser to give rival search engines a fighting chance against its illegal monopoly, but backed off its previous request that Google sell its investments in artificial intelligence companies.

  • March 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Open To Reviving Monsanto Expiration Label Fight

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared open Friday to reviving a proposed class action over expiration dates on Monsanto's Roundup pesticides, but two judges were skeptical of claims against a distributor, which the distributor's counsel argued could open the floodgates of litigation.

  • March 07, 2025

    Starbucks Liable For Hot Drink Spill On Driver

    A unanimous California state jury has found Starbucks was negligent in the case of a driver who had scalding water spill in his lap, sending the case to a damages phase.

  • March 07, 2025

    FTC: Outlining World Sans Amazon Price-Floor 'Not Possible'

    The Federal Trade Commission told a Washington federal judge Friday that it can only offer pieces, and not the entire outline, of what an alternative world might look like without Amazon.com's allegedly monopolistic pricing floor created by penalties for sellers offering their goods more cheaply through other retailers.

  • March 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Critical Of Nordstrom Nixing $6.7M Order

    A Ninth Circuit judge doubted Nordstrom Inc.'s stance on Friday in a suit accusing it of using labor concerns as a false pretense to pull a $6.7 million menswear order, calling the department store chain's alleged oversupply of dress shirts at the time of the cancelation "the elephant in the room."

  • March 07, 2025

    Google Says Special Master Can't Make Ad Tech Trial Calls

    Google is opposing a bid in Texas federal court from state enforcers accusing the company of monopolizing key digital advertising technology to have a special master make decisions about what evidence will be admitted during trial.

Expert Analysis

  • Short-Seller Implications Of 10th Circ.'s Overstock Decision

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    The Tenth Circuit's Oct. 15 decision in Overstock Securities Litigation provides clarity on the pleading standard for a market manipulation claim under the Exchange Act, and suggests that short sellers might not be able to rely on the fraud-on-the-market presumption typically invoked by securities plaintiffs, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Planning For Cyber Incident Reporting Requirements In Sports

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    Attorneys at Wiley discuss the proposed rules under the Cybersecurity Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act that would impose extensive reporting requirements on professional and collegiate athletic organizations, universities and sports venues, including defining a covered entity and analyzing the types of events that would trigger reporting.

  • Fed. Circ. Ruling May Signal Software Patent Landscape Shift

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    The Federal Circuit's recent ruling in Broadband iTV, despite similarities to past decisions, chose to rely on prior cases finding patent-ineligible claims directed to receiving and displaying information, which may undermine one of the few areas of perceived predictability in the patent eligibility landscape, say attorneys at King & Wood.

  • FDIC Guidance Puts Next-Gen ATMs In Regulatory Spotlight

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    The boring existence of ATMs is changing thanks to the emergence of new-age interactive teller machines, prompting the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to sound off in a potentially influential August letter to branches on which services might need regulatory approval, says Thomas Walker at Jones Walker.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Amazon Holiday Pay Case Underscores Overtime Challenges

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    The recent Hamilton v. Amazon.com Services LLC decision in the Colorado Supreme Court underscores why employers must always consult applicable state law and regulations — in addition to federal law — when determining how to properly pay employees who work more than 40 hours in a workweek, says James Looby at Vedder Price.

  • Understanding New ACH Network Anti-Fraud Rules

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    Many of the National Automated Clearing House Association’s recent amendments to ACH network risk management rules went into effect this month, so financial institutions and corporations must review and update their internal policies as needed, says Aisha Hall at Taft.

  • Opinion

    It's Time To Sound The Alarm About Lost Labor Rights

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    In the Fifth Circuit, recent rulings from judges appointed by former President Donald Trump have dismantled workers’ core labor rights, a troubling trend that we cannot risk extending under another Trump administration, say Sharon Block and Raj Nayak at the Center for Labor and a Just Economy.

  • Election Unlikely To Overhaul Antitrust Enforcers' Labor Focus

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    Although the outcome of the presidential election may alter the course of antitrust enforcement in certain areas of the economy, scrutiny of labor markets by the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice is likely to remain largely unaffected — with one notable exception, say Jared Nagley and Joy Siu at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

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