Retail & E-Commerce

  • March 20, 2025

    Chinese Pool Firms Banned From US Sales Until Judgment Is Paid

    A North Carolina federal judge barred multiple Chinese companies and their owner from importing and selling pool equipment in the United States until they pay off a prior $17.8 million judgment after finding them in contempt for "actively frustrating" collection efforts by moving money around despite restraining orders.

  • March 20, 2025

    Saatva Misled Consumers About Mattress Material, Suit Says

    Saatva, a direct-to-consumer mattress brand, has been hit with a proposed class action in a New York federal court, with shoppers accusing it of misrepresenting that its products are nontoxic, natural and chemical-free, even though its mattresses contained materials that pose health and environmental concerns.

  • March 20, 2025

    Oracle Eyes Stake In TikTok's US Entity, And More Rumors

    Oracle is considering acquiring a stake in TikTok's U.S. operations that would allow the social media giant to continue doing business here under certain security assurances. Meanwhile, Brookfield Asset Management has emerged as the top contender to acquire Colonial Pipeline, and German drugmaker Stada is delaying its IPO until at least September because of market volatility. Here, Law360 breaks down the notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • March 19, 2025

    Beech-Nut Beats Baby Food Metals Case Revived By 2nd Circ.

    A New York federal judge tossed Wednesday a recently revived consolidated proposed consumer class action alleging Beech-Nut Nutrition Co. sold baby food contaminated with metals, finding that the consumers have not shown they were economically harmed, while rejecting their claims they overpaid for the products or did not receive the benefit of the bargain.

  • March 19, 2025

    Philip Morris Must Face Bulk Of Fla. Zyn Injury Suits

    A Florida federal judge trimmed on Wednesday a single fraudulent concealment claim against Philip Morris' subsidiary in a pair of consumer lawsuits alleging ongoing injuries caused by addictions to Zyn nicotine pouches, but the judge refused to toss other claims, rejecting Philip Morris' jurisdictional challenges.

  • March 19, 2025

    DOJ Says Anthropic View Of Google Search Fix Is Now Moot

    The U.S. Department of Justice is urging a D.C. federal judge to dismiss Anthropic's bid to submit witness declarations in the remedies phase of the government's search antitrust case against Google, arguing that it already dropped the proposed remedy that drew Anthropic's input in the first place.

  • March 19, 2025

    Crisco Slips Proposed Class Cert. In Butter False Ad Suit

    A Crisco cooking spray purchaser looking to hold its manufacturer liable for an allegedly deceptive "butter" label cannot pursue those claims on behalf of other consumers because his intended classes aren't solid enough to proceed as one, an Illinois federal judge said Wednesday.  

  • March 19, 2025

    DOJ Defends Rejection Of Agri Stats Bid For Data Points

    The U.S. Department of Justice is defending a decision in Minnesota federal court denying a bid from Agri Stats Inc. to make enforcers identify specific data fields in company reports that allegedly allow chicken, pork and turkey producers to share competitively sensitive information.

  • March 19, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Partial Ax Of 'Money Mart' TM In Pawn Fight

    The Federal Circuit has backed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board's finding that two Dollar Financial Group trademark registrations for the phrase "Money Mart" can't be used for pawn brokerages and pawn shops.

  • March 19, 2025

    Insurers End Dispute Over Pizza Chain Salmonella Coverage

    Two insurers for a "take 'n' bake" pizza chain have settled a dispute over their contributions to a deal reached by their mutual insured in an underlying case over salmonella-tainted cookie dough, with a Washington federal court tossing the suit.

  • March 19, 2025

    Judge Tosses Vroom Investors' IPO Suit Due To Vague Claims

    A New York federal judge has tossed a stockholder class action against Vroom Inc. over issues with its $468 million initial public offering, finding that none of the more than 50 challenged statements in the complaint made about the online car retailer's customer service or business plan are actionable.

  • March 19, 2025

    Conn. Barber Says She Faced Anti-Polish Bias, Docked Pay

    A former barber at a Greenwich, Connecticut, hair salon has taken her ex-employer to federal court for allegedly discriminating against her for being from Poland, failing to pay overtime, and docking her pay for "house charges" to cover amenities she was never given at work.

  • March 19, 2025

    EU Accuses Google Of Breaking New Big Tech Rules

    European enforcers accused Google on Wednesday of violating the bloc's new rules for digital markets by favoring its own services in search results and through restrictions in its Play Store, while also outlining steps Apple needs to take to comply.

  • March 19, 2025

    Court Tosses Challenge To Indiana's Delta-8 THC Policy

    An Indiana federal judge has dismissed a challenge brought by hemp industry stakeholders against Indiana's policy to rein in hemp-derived delta-8 THC, saying the case was a matter for a state court.

  • March 19, 2025

    Revlon Settles Trade Secrets Case Over Britney Spears' Scent

    A federal court signed off on settlements ending Revlon's trade secrets case against an upstart Italian beauty brand, and one of its former marketing executives, who were both accused of stealing trade secrets when luring Britney Spears' perfume line abroad.

  • March 19, 2025

    Activist Asks 9th Circ. To Revive Meta, Twitter RICO Fight

    Political activist Laura Loomer urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to revive her latest racketeering lawsuit alleging Meta and Twitter conspired with the government to censor conservative voices, arguing the lawsuit is distinct from three prior suits in part because this case involves accounts she used as a political candidate.

  • March 19, 2025

    How Cleary, Simpson Thacher Went To The Mattresses With FTC

    The Federal Trade Commission's attempt to block Tempur Sealy's $5 billion bid to acquire retailer Mattress Firm suffered a likely fatal blow when a Texas federal court refused to put the merger on hold.

  • March 19, 2025

    MLM Cosmetics Co. Doesn't Pay Any Wages, Stylist Says

    A multilevel marketing company illegally classifies stylists as independent contractors, thus forcing them to foot the bill for promoting the company's products, and only pays workers a commission and for recruiting more stylists, a lawsuit filed in California state court said.

  • March 19, 2025

    Law360 Announces The Members Of Its 2025 Editorial Boards

    Law360 is pleased to announce the formation of its 2025 Editorial Advisory Boards.

  • March 18, 2025

    Quaker Oats Beats Pesticide Suit As Judge Cites EPA Limits

    An Illinois federal judge threw out a putative class action Tuesday accusing Quaker Oats Co. of misleadingly marketing its products as healthy despite the presence of pesticides, saying the chemical levels identified in the case are far below the limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

  • March 18, 2025

    Amazon Asks To Claw Back Docs In Consumer Antitrust Suits

    Amazon has asked a Washington federal court to allow it to claw back three documents it has deemed as privileged from consumers in a trio of proposed antitrust class actions, saying that the plaintiffs are refusing to return or destroy them after quoting them in their motion for class certification.

  • March 18, 2025

    PVC Pipe Giant's Top Brass Sued For Hiding Price-Fix Scheme

    PVC pipe maker Atkore Inc.'s top executives and board members were hit with derivative claims Tuesday for allegedly shielding the company's participation in a pandemic-era price-fixing scheme, just days after investors sued the company and three executives for the same alleged conduct.

  • March 18, 2025

    J&J Denies 'Evil Motive' In Face Of $30M Talc Damages

    Johnson & Johnson did not act with the kind of "evil motive" that would justify a $30 million punitive damages award to a Connecticut man who won a lawsuit alleging its talc products caused his lung cancer, the company argued Tuesday in state court.

  • March 18, 2025

    Vans Facility Subjected Employees To Extreme Heat, Suit Says

    A former Vans sneaker distribution center in Southern California made employees work in unventilated rooms that would reach over 100 degrees, an employee who worked at the facility for 16 years has alleged in a new lawsuit filed in California state court.

  • March 18, 2025

    Google, Apple Urge 9th Circ. To Reject Search Collusion Case

    Google and Apple are urging the Ninth Circuit to reject an appeal from an advertiser seeking to revive a case accusing Google of paying Apple to stay out of the search market, arguing that a ruling in the government's search case against Google has nothing to do with the claims.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • A Look At 2024 NIL Rights And Economies In College Sports

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    Permutations in the arena of name, image and likeness affecting collegiate athletics have continued unabated this year, and practitioners and industry representatives should anticipate significant activity at schools and continuing legal changes at the state level, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Unpacking CFPB's Unwieldy Buy Now, Pay Later Guidance

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    Both the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent interpretive rule regarding buy now, pay later transactions, and its FAQ guidance, place providers in murky waters with the unenviable position of attempting to place a square, closed-end product in a round, regulatory framework meant for open-end products, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Patent Marking Steps After Fed. Circ. Opens Lanham Act Door

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    Following the Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Crocs v. Effervescent, which seemingly revives private actors’ ability to bring false patent marking claims under the Lanham Act, marketing and legal teams should be careful to avoid advertisement language that implies nonexistent patent rights, says Jeffrey Ratinoff at Spencer Fane.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • Key Legal Considerations After Supply Chain Disruptions

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    After U.S. supply chain disruptions — like the recent port workers' strike, and Hurricanes Helene and Milton — stakeholders should look to contractual provisions to mitigate losses, and keep in mind that regulators will be watching closely for unfair shipping practices, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • How Property Insurance Coverage Shrank After The Pandemic

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    Insurers litigating property claims are leveraging rulings that provided relief in the COVID-19 context to reverse the former majority rule on physical loss or damage in all contexts, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • The 3rd-Party Bankruptcy Release Landscape After Purdue

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    In its Purdue Pharma ruling prohibiting nonconsensual third-party releases, the U.S. Supreme Court did not comment on criteria to render a third-party release consensual, opening a debate in the bankruptcy courts on the permissibility of opt-out versus opt-in releases, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • When 'Patented' Goes Beyond Inventorship In False Ad Cases

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    The Federal Circuit's recent false advertising holding in Crocs v. Effervescent is significant because it offers a nuanced yet realistic understanding of what false claims about a product's status as "patented" can mean, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Comparing Antitrust Outlooks Amid Google Remedy Review

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    As the U.S. Justice Department mulls potential structural remedies after winning its recent case against Google, increased global scrutiny of Big Tech leaves ex post and ex ante antitrust approaches ripe for evaluation, say Nishant Chadha at the Indian School of Business and Manisha Goel at Pomona College.

  • Website Accessibility Ruling Leaves Circuit Split Unresolved

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    A New York federal court's recent decision in Mejia v. High Brew Coffee, holding that stand-alone websites are not "public accommodations" subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act, further complicates a long-running circuit split on this question — even as courts are burdened with thousands of similar lawsuits, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

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