Retail & E-Commerce

  • October 22, 2024

    Ex-Abercrombie CEO Charged With Sex Trafficking

    Former Abercrombie & Fitch Co. CEO Mike Jeffries was indicted Tuesday on charges he ran an international sex trafficking and prostitution ring that abused male models who were led to believe their participation in sex parties would benefit their careers.

  • October 22, 2024

    Reebok Settles Testy TM Suit With Italian Shoemaker

    Reebok has settled a suit claiming Italian shoemaker Autry USA LLC ripped off several of the sneaker giant's trademarks, ending a contentious case that saw Reebok seek to sanction its rival for what it termed "underhanded" tactics.

  • October 21, 2024

    Target Wants Sanctions For 'Bogus' BIPA Suit

    An Illinois federal judge should sanction a group of Target customers and their lawyers for pursuing a facial recognition privacy case even though the plaintiffs had seen evidence their legal theory was "bogus," the retail giant says.

  • October 21, 2024

    Big Lots Can Tap Final $10M DIP Draw To Fund Ch. 11 Sale

    Discount retailer Big Lots Inc. got a Delaware bankruptcy judge's approval Monday to access the final $10 million in new money being funded under its debtor-in-possession loan package after it struck a last-minute deal to quell objections that a slate of landlords raised against final DIP approval.

  • October 21, 2024

    Court Kicks Cannabis Consumer Case Back To Conn. State

    Smoke and vape wholesalers accused of illegally selling intoxicating hemp products have lost a bid to keep an unfair trade lawsuit brought against them by the Connecticut attorney general out of state court after a district court judge ruled it doesn't matter if the THC in the vapes was derived from federally legal hemp.

  • October 21, 2024

    Kroger Beats Class Cert. Bid In Pain Patch False Ad Suit

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday denied class certification to consumers who sued Kroger over lidocaine patches they asserted could not stay on long enough to provide up to eight hours of relief as advertised, saying neither of two proposed class representatives purchased the allegedly misleading patches.

  • October 21, 2024

    Basic Fun Resolves Objection, Gets Nod For Ch. 11 Plan

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge agreed Monday to confirm the Chapter 11 restructuring plan of toymaker Basic Fun, saying the company's creditors had been adequately informed and he appreciated the work done to reach terms that satisfied all parties involved.

  • October 21, 2024

    Lilly Ledbetter Was An 'Indefatigable' Force For Equal Pay

    Lilly Ledbetter, whose unequal pay lawsuit against her employer sparked a 2009 law and led her to dedicate the rest of her life to fighting for pay equity, recently died at 86. Those who worked with her say her legacy lives on in the ongoing fight to close the wage gap.

  • October 21, 2024

    Arthur Blank's Paramours Forced Unpaid OT, Ex-Workers Say

    The family office of Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank, who owns the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC, has been sued by two former employees who allege they were forced to work long hours due to the retention of "incompetent" employees who had sexual relationships with Blank and others, and were then denied overtime.

  • October 21, 2024

    High Court Won't Revisit New-Deal Removal Ruling Yet

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review a case challenging presidential removal protections for commissioners of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, passing up the opportunity to revisit a New Deal-era precedent at the center of the modern regulatory system.

  • October 18, 2024

    Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attys From 74 Firms

    The attorneys chosen as Law360's 2024 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

  • October 18, 2024

    Fintech Group Challenges CFPB's Buy Now, Pay Later Policy

    The Financial Technology Association on Friday asked a D.C. federal court to strike down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's first-ever rule directed at the fintech-dominated market for buy now, pay later loans, claiming that it violates procedural requirements and "misunderstands" relevant law. 

  • October 18, 2024

    How Dickinson Wright Attys Won A Victory Before The SEC

    It took more than four years and possibly an alleged slip-up by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement staff for Dickinson Wright PLLC attorneys to secure what they said is a first-of-its-kind ruling by the agency when it reversed a trading suspension against a firm client over the objections of the SEC's own staff.

  • October 18, 2024

    Walmart Scores Quick Appeal In FTC's Money Transfer Suit

    An Illinois federal judge refused Friday to reconsider a prior decision trimming the Federal Trade Commission's suit alleging Walmart facilitated fraud through its money transfer services, while allowing Walmart to seek interlocutory review regarding the FTC's litigating authority. 

  • October 18, 2024

    Fritos Didn't Defame In Flamin' Hot Cheetos Feud, Judge Told

    An attorney for Frito-Lay Inc. on Friday urged a California federal judge to dismiss a former employee's suit claiming he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos and had his livelihood destroyed when the company disavowed his story, saying it's not inherently defamatory to disagree about the snack's origins.

  • October 18, 2024

    Classic Car Auctioneer Loan Fight Ends In $20M Award

    A collector car auction house backed by Sotheby's is asking a Michigan federal court to enforce an €18.69 million ($20.3 million) arbitral award against longtime client GTC SASU, a French collector and seller of classic cars, following a dispute over a loan deal.

  • October 18, 2024

    Judge Slams 'Lazy Lawyering' In Amazon Biometric Data Suit

    The judge overseeing a proposed biometric privacy class action against Amazon Web Services Inc. in Delaware federal court chastised the plaintiffs' counsel for identically repleading a previously dismissed claim, calling the move "lazy lawyering" and warning of potential ramifications for "lying to the court."

  • October 18, 2024

    False Ad Suit Trimmed Over 'Non-Drowsy' Albertsons Meds

    An Illinois federal judge on Thursday refused to strike class claims that Albertsons markets and sells cough medicine labeled as "non-drowsy" that does in fact cause drowsiness, but threw out breach of warranty claims because the lead plaintiff failed to give the company adequate notice before filing suit.

  • October 18, 2024

    Cos. Say Brokerage Startup's NAR Listing Rules Suit Is Stale

    HomeServices of America Inc. and HSF Affiliates LLC told a Utah federal court on Friday to toss a residential brokerage startup's antitrust suit that accused them, multiple brokerages and the National Association of Realtors of conspiring to block the startup from NAR's multiple listing services.

  • October 18, 2024

    FTC Won't Disqualify ALJ in H&R Block False Ad Fight

    The Federal Trade Commission denied a request by H&R Block to stop an administrative law judge from overseeing a proceeding that accuses the tax preparation company of deceptive advertising, saying Friday that ALJs don't have unconstitutional job protections as the company claimed.

  • October 18, 2024

    Vorys Slams 'Copycat' Firms Trying To Lead Antitrust Suit

    Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease LLP is opposing a bid from Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Bucher Law PLLC to take the lead in a proposed consumer class action against gaming giant Valve Corp., saying the firms just "piggybacked" off Vorys' work in an identical suit.

  • October 18, 2024

    Law360 Will Track 2024 Ballot Measures On Real-Time Map

    As citizens across the country weigh in on federal, state and local elections this November, Law360's 2024 ballot measure map will track election results for tax-related ballot measures in real time. Here, Law360 dives into what's on the ballots in Georgia, Nevada, Wyoming and Denver.

  • October 18, 2024

    Grocery Co. Sued Over 'Naturally Flavored' Cereal Bars Label

    North Carolina-based supermarket chain Harris Teeter was hit with a proposed class action alleging its fruit-flavored cereal bars aren't "naturally flavored" like the packaging claims, but instead contain a flavoring that is derived from a petroleum substrate.

  • October 18, 2024

    Weedmaps' Parent Co. Faces Investor Suit After SEC Fine

    The parent company of cannabis tech company Weedmaps was hit with an investor's proposed class action alleging shareholders were damaged following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's announcement that it fined the company $1.5 million for allegedly making misleading statements about its monthly active users.

  • October 18, 2024

    Dick's Sporting Goods Escapes NY Apparel Co.'s $8M TM Suit

    A New York-based sports apparel company has dropped its $8 million federal lawsuit accusing Dick's Sporting Goods of infringing its registered logo featuring an infinity symbol.

Expert Analysis

  • Del. Dispatch: Chancery's Evolving Approach To Caremark

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    Though Caremark claims are historically the least likely corporate claims to lead to liability, such cases have been met in recent years with increased judicial receptivity — but the Delaware Court of Chancery still expressly discourages the reflexive filing of Caremark claims following corporate mishaps, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Why Employers Shouldn't Overreact To Protest Activities

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    Recent decisions from the First Circuit in Kinzer v. Whole Foods and the National Labor Relations Board in Home Depot hold eye-opening takeaways about which employee conduct is protected as "protest activity" and make a case for fighting knee-jerk reactions that could result in costly legal proceedings, says Frank Shuster at Constangy.

  • ITC Ruling Has Serious IP Implications For Foreign Imports

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    While a recent U.S. International Trade Commission decision is a win for trade secret owners who can show injury to a U.S. domestic industry, the decision also means that companies operating in foreign jurisdictions will be subject to the requirements of U.S. trade secret law, say Paul Ainsworth and Cristen Corry at Sterne Kessler.

  • Series

    Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

  • TTAB Ruling Raises Foreign-Language Mark Questions

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    The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board's recent decision to cancel the Veuve Olivier registration due to its similarity to Veuve Clicquot brings new focus to the treatment of foreign terms and the doctrine of foreign equivalents, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Best Practices To Accommodate Workplace Service Animals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Since the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently pledged to enforce accommodations for people with intellectual, developmental and mental health-related disabilities, companies should use an interactive process to properly respond when employees ask about bringing service animals into the workplace, say Samuel Lillard and Jantzen Mace at Ogletree.

  • A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

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    As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

  • Opinion

    State-Regulated Cannabis Can Thrive Without Section 280E

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    Marijauna's reclassification as a Schedule III-controlled substance comes at a critical juncture, as removing marijuana from being subjected to Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code is the only path forward for the state-regulated cannabis industry to survive and thrive, say Andrew Kline at Perkins Coie and Sammy Markland at FTI Consulting.

  • 4 Sectors Will Likely Bear Initial Brunt Of FTC 'Junk Fees' Rule

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    If the Federal Trade Commission adopts its comprehensive proposed rule to ban unfair or deceptive fees across the U.S. economy, many businesses — including those in the lodging, event ticketing, dining and transportation sectors — will need to reexamine the way they market and price their products and services, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • 8 Legal Issues Influencing Investors In The Creator Economy

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    The rapidly expanding digital creator economy — funding for which more than doubled in the U.S. in the first quarter — comes with its own set of unique legal issues investors must carefully consider before diving in, say Louis Lehot and Alan Pate at Foley & Lardner.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data

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    Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • CFPB Reality Check: Video Game Cash Is Still Money

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent report examining payments within online video games indicates that financial services offered within the game marketplace are quickly evolving to the point where they are indistinguishable from traditional financial services subject to regulation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Is The Digital Accessibility Storm Almost Over?

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    Though private businesses have faced a decadelong deluge of digital accessibility complaints in the absence of clear regulations or uniformity among the courts, attorneys at Epstein Becker address how recent federal courts’ pushback against serial Americans with Disabilities Act plaintiffs and the U.S. Department of Justice’s proposed government accessibility standards may presage a break in the downpour.

  • PE In The Crosshairs Of Public And Private Antitrust Enforcers

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    A series of decisions from a California federal court in the recently settled Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, as well as heightened scrutiny from federal agencies, serve as a reminder that private equity firms may be exposed to liability for alleged anti-competitive conduct by their portfolio companies, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • Series

    Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.

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