Retail & E-Commerce

  • January 24, 2025

    FDA's Premium Cigar Regulations Overturned By DC Circ.

    A D.C. Circuit panel ruled on Friday that the Food and Drug Administration acted arbitrarily when subjecting premium, hand-rolled cigars to the same regulations as other tobacco products, saying the agency was wrong to overlook two studies about infrequent premium cigar use.

  • January 24, 2025

    Philip Morris Settles Tobacco Liability Trial After Openings

    Philip Morris and a supermarket chain have reached a settlement with the family of a Massachusetts woman who died of lung cancer in 2022 after decades of smoking the company's Marlboro cigarettes, ending the case a day after trial began.

  • January 24, 2025

    Trump Treads Into Murky Waters With TikTok Gambit

    Nearly five years after he sought to kill the social media platform TikTok, President Donald Trump has opened his second term with a legally questionable bid to save it, cloaking the app's future in the U.S. market in even more uncertainty.

  • January 24, 2025

    Circle K Fails To Pay For Travel Costs, Manager Says

    Convenience store chain Circle K requires store managers to make trips to other locations to pick up out-of-stock items but doesn't reimburse them for the costs associated with this travel, a proposed class action filed in Illinois state court said.

  • January 23, 2025

    'Bad Spaniels' Toy Dilutes, Doesn't Infringe Jack Daniel's TM

    A "Bad Spaniels" dog toy parodying Jack Daniel's iconic whiskey bottle does not infringe trademark rights but does dilute the whiskey maker's trademarks and trade dress, an Arizona federal judge ruled Thursday, following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the First Amendment does not shield the toy's maker.

  • January 23, 2025

    Marlboro Smoker Was Target Of Deception, Jury Hears

    Philip Morris targeted a Massachusetts preteen as a "replacement" customer for others who were dying of lung disease, a Springfield jury heard Thursday, though the company's lawyer said the woman had free will and knew enough to stop smoking.

  • January 23, 2025

    Vape Maker Seeks Exit From Suit Over Delta-9 THC Levels

    An Illinois-based vape maker urged a federal judge to toss a lawsuit accusing it of fraudulently passing off illicit Delta-9 products as legal Delta-8 ones, saying the suit lacks fundamental details, such as which products were purchased and what laboratory tested them.

  • January 23, 2025

    Advanced Auto Parts Gets Brakes Tapped On Investor Suit

    Advanced Auto Parts beat back a proposed class action on Thursday that accused the company and its top brass of misleading investors about the failure of a new pricing strategy and purposefully inflating the impact of price reductions, with a North Carolina federal judge finding that the suit failed to plead knowledge of wrongdoing.

  • January 23, 2025

    Del. Justices Won't Revive Skechers Inc. Aircraft Use Suit

    Delaware's top court on Thursday grounded with scant comment a derivative suit appeal filed on behalf of a stockholder of comfort shoemaker Skechers USA Inc. seeking revival of a dismissed lower court case alleging failure to control top executives' use of corporate aircraft for personal travel.

  • January 23, 2025

    Nike Says Defamation Allegations Must Go In $60M TM Fight

    Nike moved this week to stop a Los Angeles-based company that says it once collaborated with the sportswear giant on custom sneakers for celebrities and athletes from moving forward with a defamation counterclaim against Nike's $60 million trademark lawsuit.

  • January 23, 2025

    Chinese, Thai And Vietnamese Paper Plates Hit With Duties

    The U.S. Department of Commerce will impose duties on paper plates from China, Vietnam and Thailand, finding those countries unfairly subsidized that product, giving them an unfair advantage in the U.S. market, according to a statement.

  • January 23, 2025

    Amazon Gets Patent Case Shipped From WDTX To Calif.

    A Texas federal magistrate judge has sent a suit accusing Amazon of infringing a pair of computing patents to California, but agreed to stay the transfer until next month.

  • January 23, 2025

    HP Says Ill. Ink Antitrust Claims Fall 'Woefully Short'

    HP urged an Illinois federal judge on Thursday to toss out customers' lawsuit accusing it of anticompetitively blocking them from using third-party ink cartridges in their machines, arguing that they haven't come close to showing how it tied customers' printer purchases to the alleged restriction.

  • January 23, 2025

    House Bill Filed To Renew FCC Auctions, Spectrum Pipeline

    A Republican lawmaker introduced a bill Thursday that would give the Federal Communications Commission authority to auction the airwaves and direct the government to turn over at least 2,500 megahertz for private sector or shared use in the next five years.

  • January 23, 2025

    Chancery Tosses Suit Challenging $10.2B Zendesk Sale

    Rejecting stockholder claims of misstated or omitted deal terms, a Delaware vice chancellor on Wednesday dismissed a suit accusing managers of software-as-a-service venture Zendesk Inc. of taking the company private at a $10.2 billion price far below earlier offers.

  • January 23, 2025

    Connecticut Lawmaker Files Cannabis Cafe Bill

    A Democratic Connecticut lawmaker on Wednesday introduced a bill to legalize Amsterdam-style cafes and restaurants where patrons can consume cannabis on-site.

  • January 23, 2025

    Walmart Strikes Deal To End Delivery Driver's Wage Suit

    Walmart reached a deal to resolve a former worker's lawsuit accusing the company of misclassifying its app-based delivery drivers as independent contractors and failing to provide them the guaranteed wages, breaks and benefits owed to employees, a filing in Washington federal court said.

  • January 23, 2025

    Turkey Buyers Get Classes Certified For Antitrust Claims

    An Illinois federal court certified two classes of buyers in a case accusing the country's largest turkey processors of working together to reduce supply and increase prices after refusing to exclude analysis from the buyers' experts.

  • January 22, 2025

    Crocs Investor Sues Over Dismal Heydude Footware Biz

    Crocs Inc. and its top brass were hit Wednesday with a proposed class action in Delaware federal court over disappointing returns from its Heydude subsidiary, which investors allege dragged down the rubber-clog maker's earnings.

  • January 22, 2025

    J&J Seeks To Defeat $30M Punitive Bid After Conn. Talc Trial

    Johnson & Johnson has blasted a bid requesting that it pay $30 million in punitive damages on top of a $15 million jury award to a real estate developer who allegedly contracted mesothelioma from the company's talc, telling a Connecticut state court that, "at most," it should pay $5 million.

  • January 22, 2025

    Kroger Faces EEOC Suit Over Cancer Disability Bias Claims

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday announced that it filed suit against The Kroger Co. in Georgia federal court for firing an employee who complained about alleged workplace discrimination stemming from a disability caused by breast cancer treatments.

  • January 22, 2025

    No New Trial For Tevra's Flea, Tick Meds Suit Against Bayer

    A California federal judge refused to give Tevra Brands LLC a do-over on allegations that Bayer used exclusive contracts to anticompetitively lock up the market for flea and tick treatments for dogs, finding the veterinary drugmaker was just rehashing previously rejected arguments attacking a key expert witness.

  • January 22, 2025

    Maryland Gov. Taps NY Official As New Cannabis Head

    Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Wednesday announced the appointment of a New York cannabis official to run the state's marijuana regulatory agency.

  • January 22, 2025

    Toy Co. Not Covered In Unpaid Judgment Suit, Judge Says

    A Berkshire Hathaway insurer has no duty to defend a toy company accused of using legal proceedings to evade payment of an $8.5 million default judgment for false advertising, a Minnesota federal court ruled, finding that abuse of process claims are not covered under the policy.

  • January 22, 2025

    Campbell's Soup Store Racks Infringe Patents, Judge Says

    An Illinois federal judge found Wednesday that Campbell and grocery chains Kroger and Meijer directly infringed patents covering gravity-operated racks found in grocery aisles, but shot down the patent owner's bid for a win on the soup company's argument that the patents are invalid.

Expert Analysis

  • A Class Action Trend Tests Limit Of Courts' Equity Powers

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    A troubling trend has developed in federal class action litigation as some counsel and judges attempt to push injunctive relief classes under Rule 23(b)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure beyond the traditional limits of federal courts' equitable powers, say attorneys at Jones Day.

  • A Look At How De Minimis Import Rules May Soon Change

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    The planned implementation of executive actions focused on the de minimis rule as it applies to shipments means companies should use this interval to evaluate the potential applicability and impact of Section 301, Section 201 or Section 232 duties on their products, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Antitrust Issues To Watch Amid Google Ad Tech Trial

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    Regardless of the outcome of the U.S. Department of Justice's advertising technology antitrust suit against Google in Virginia federal court, matters ranging from market definition to unified pricing will likely have far-reaching implications for the digital advertising industry, competition and innovation, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • What To Know About Latest Calif. Auto-Renewal Law Update

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    While businesses have about nine months to prepare before the recently passed amendment to California's automatic renewal law takes effect, it’s not too early to begin working on compliance efforts, including sign-up flow reviews, record retention updates and marketing language revisions, say Gonzalo Mon and Beth Chun at Kelley Drye.

  • How Lucia, Jarkesy Could Affect Grocery Merger Challenge

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    While the Federal Trade Commission is taking a dual federal court and administrative tribunal approach to block Kroger's merger with Alberstons, Kroger's long-shot unconstitutionality claims could potentially lead to a reevaluation of the FTC's reliance on administrative processes in complex merger cases, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • How To Avoid Liability When Using Cookie Consent Managers

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    As companies attempt to comply with consumer protection laws by implementing cookie consent managers on their websites, they must be wary of separate legal risks that can stem from implementing or using these tools incorrectly, says Ian Cohen at LOKKER.

  • Basel Endgame Rules: A Change Is Coming

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    The Federal Reserve Board's recently announced recalibration of the Basel endgame proposal begins a critical chapter in the evolution of not only the safety and soundness of U.S. banks, but also of banks' abilities to lend and support American businesses and consumers, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Series

    Round-Canopy Parachuting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Similar to the practice of law, jumping from an in-flight airplane with nothing but training and a few yards of parachute silk is a demanding and stressful endeavor, and the experience has bolstered my legal practice by enhancing my focus, teamwork skills and sense of perspective, says Thomas Salerno at Stinson.

  • Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners

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    Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics

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    Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.

  • How Labeling And Testing May Help Reduce PFAS Litigation

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    As regulators take steps to reduce consumers’ exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, companies can take a proactive approach to mitigating litigation risks not only by labeling their products transparently, but also by complying with testing and marketing standards, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

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    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

  • Behind 3rd Circ. Ruling On College Athletes' FLSA Eligibility

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    The Third Circuit's decision that college athletes are not precluded from bringing a claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act raises key questions about the practical consequences of treating collegiate athletes as employees, such as Title IX equal pay claims and potential eligibility for all employment benefits, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Commerce Proposal Could Ease Trade Remedy Administration

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    Recently proposed international trade enforcement regulations could help the U.S. Department of Commerce more easily administer antidumping and countervailing duty remedies, in turn maximizing relief to American companies adversely affected by unfair trade, says Natan Tubman at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • Rise Of Transpo Contractors Brings Insurance Disputes

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    As more independent contractors are contracted and subcontracted in the delivery industry, companies must be prepared to defend claims from drivers who are injured on the job as they are often seeking to establish an employment relationship with one of the entities in the chain, says Nathan Milner at Goldberg Segalla.

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