Consumer Protection

  • September 03, 2026

    FCC Told It Can't Preempt Local Utilities On Pole Attachments

    A municipally owned electric company from Kentucky wants the FCC to clarify that it doesn't plan to step on its toes or the toes of any other government-owned utilities as the agency seeks to pass rules that would allow it to preempt wireline decisions if localities are moving too slowly.

  • September 03, 2026

    Mortgage Co. Must Face Consumer Claims Over Dispute Flags

    An Illinois federal judge has rejected requests from mortgage servicer Dovenmuehle Mortgage Inc. and a consumer leading a proposed class action accusing it of sending inaccurate payment history information to consumer reporting agencies, saying neither summary judgment for the servicer nor class certification are appropriate at this time.

  • September 03, 2026

    Williams-Sonoma Urges 9th Circ. To Snip Thread-Count Class

    Williams-Sonoma told the Ninth Circuit on Thursday that a district judge overseeing a certified false advertising class action over bedsheet thread-count labels should have excluded certain class members who purportedly agreed to arbitrate, arguing that the court wrongly couched the arbitration decision in a ruling on the class' definition.

  • September 03, 2026

    8 Patent Reviews Instituted By Squires, Only 1 Denied

    In his latest round of decisions, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires instituted eight patent reviews Wednesday and rejected only one challenge.

  • September 03, 2026

    RJ Reynolds Beats TCPA Suit Over Unsolicited Texts

    A North Carolina federal judge Thursday granted tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds' bid to dismiss a proposed class action over unsolicited text messages, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling that said the Telephone Consumer Protection Act's prohibitions on unwanted phone calls do not apply to texts.

  • September 03, 2026

    Nippon Tells 9th Circ. Not To Revive US Steel Merger Case

    Nippon Steel urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday not to revive a consumer lawsuit challenging its now-completed purchase of U.S. Steel Corp., arguing the district court rightly found the plaintiffs too far removed from the steel market to allege higher prices when buying steel-containing products.

  • September 03, 2026

    EU Council OKs Bloc Customs Modernization Program

    A suite of changes aimed at modernizing the European Union's customs administration to help it handle the e-commerce boom is on the precipice of implementation after the Council of the EU approved them Thursday, teeing up a final vote in the European Parliament.

  • September 03, 2026

    Baltimore Says Kratom Sellers Hid Addictive Qualities

    The city of Baltimore is suing three kratom product distributors, alleging they violate city law by advertising kratom as having therapeutic qualities it doesn't possess, while downplaying or hiding its addictive nature.

  • September 03, 2026

    Wireless Tower Group Urges FCC To Back GPS Alternatives

    Wireless tower builders have asked the Federal Communications Commission to consider new rules that will promote the development of new positioning, navigation and timing technologies that can complement GPS technology.

  • September 02, 2026

    Hess, Pioneer, Others Can't Duck Shale Oil Price-Fix Claims

    A New Mexico federal judge preserved the core of a consolidated proposed class action from consumers, businesses and local governments accusing Hess, Pioneer, Continental and other fossil fuel giants of conspiring to slow down shale oil production to drive up prices, tossing only a handful of state law claims.  

  • September 02, 2026

    Banks Can Discuss Fraud Without Disclosing SARs

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's financial crimes unit and other financial regulators said Wednesday that banks can communicate with customers who are the subject of suspicious activity reports about potential underlying fraud so long as they don't reveal the existence of the report.

  • September 02, 2026

    Akerman Hires Consumer Protection Law Ace From Steptoe

    Akerman LLP announced on Monday it has welcomed a former Steptoe LLP attorney who brings vast experience helping clients navigate a unique, complicated landscape involving Golden State consumer protection laws and regulations, including matters related to Proposition 65.

  • September 02, 2026

    Trading Firm To Seek Justices' Input On Arbitration Questions

    The Seventh Circuit said Wednesday that it will wait to make its arbitration rejection official so a Chicago trading firm can ask the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether it was correctly ordered to litigate proposed class securities manipulation accusations.

  • September 02, 2026

    GOP Bill Would Alter CFPB Funding, Curb Enforcement

    Two high-ranking Republican U.S. representatives have formally introduced legislation that would put the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through the regular congressional appropriations process and establish a dedicated inspector general, among other changes.

  • September 02, 2026

    Snap Mobile Skims From Online Fundraisers, Donor Claims

    A Washington woman who donated through Snap Mobile's online fundraising platform filed a proposed class action claiming that the company deceptively skims up to 20% of donations as a platform fee on top of a 4% processing fee and a prepopulated "tip" that users must affirmatively decline.

  • September 02, 2026

    Tyson's Price-Fixing Deal Merits $27.5M Atty Fees, Buyers Say

    Beef direct purchasers asked a Minnesota federal judge Tuesday to award class counsel $27.5 million in fees, or one-third of Tyson's $82.5 million price-fixing settlement, arguing that the deal was reached after six years of hard-fought antitrust litigation and adds to another settlement, bringing the total recovery to $135 million.

  • September 02, 2026

    Baby Formula Machine Makes Infants Lose Weight, Suit Says

    The makers of the Baby Brezza formula mixing machine are facing a proposed class action in New York federal court from a group of parents who say the $200 device dispenses dangerously diluted formula, even when properly used, causing infant weight loss and hospitalizations.

  • September 02, 2026

    PayPal Lets Tech 'Invisibly' Track Venmo Users, Suit Says

    PayPal misled users about third-party tracking technologies embedded in its payment platform Venmo and how their personal information was disclosed to third parties, according to a new suit filed in California federal court.

  • September 02, 2026

    FCC Backs Alaska Telecom GCI's Plan To Serve 10K More

    Improvements in broadband infrastructure mean that Alaskan telecom GCI Holdings will be able to provide hybrid fiber-cellular service to 10,000 more people in the state, the telecom has told the Federal Communications Commission.

  • September 02, 2026

    Thomson Reuters Cyberattack Hits North American Courts

    A recent cyberattack on Thomson Reuters' court management software affected files associated with court systems in 11 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada, and may have exposed sealed documents and individuals' personal information, according to a Wednesday announcement from the technology and information services company.

  • September 02, 2026

    FCC Staff Are Making Big Decisions, But The Tactic Isn't New

    When an arm of the Federal Communications Commission that deals with broadcast competition waived one of the country's signature media ownership rules without a full FCC vote this year, it wasn't the first time agency staff had been entrusted with a major decision by the FCC's politically appointed chair.

  • September 02, 2026

    AT&T Asks To Cut Copper-Based VoIP Service In 20 States

    AT&T is continuing with its plans to end its legacy copper-line telephone service across the United States, asking the Federal Communications Commission for permission to cut services that rely on copper wires in certain areas in 20 states.

  • September 02, 2026

    Cruise Says GM Investors Can't Pursue Robotaxi Fraud Suit

    Cruise LLC told a Michigan federal judge Tuesday that lead plaintiffs lack standing to pursue their securities fraud class action alleging General Motors Co.'s self-driving car unit misrepresented the technological capabilities and commercial readiness of its robotaxis, and that their class certification bid should be rejected.

  • September 02, 2026

    Colo. Says Semiautomatic Gun Law Is Constitutional

    Colorado officials urged a federal judge to not block the enforcement of a new state law restricting ownership of certain semiautomatic firearms, contending the law is constitutional and complies with recent Supreme Court precedent.

  • September 02, 2026

    14 Cos. Banned From US Networks Over Robocall Violations

    More than a dozen voice service providers have been booted from U.S. networks after failing to follow Federal Communications Commission rules aimed at staunching the barrage of robocalls that assault Americans' phones every day.

Expert Analysis

  • DOJ Healthcare Declination Offers Self-Disclosure Checklist

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's declination of criminal charges against Campus Eye Management signals that its new self-disclosure policy provides a real path for healthcare companies to avoid criminal exposure, but that path is paved with speed, transparency and operational remediation, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Amazon v. Perplexity Ruling Limits CFAA Reach Over AI Tools

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Amazon v. Perplexity provides important early guidance on how the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act applies to agentic artificial intelligence, and is the latest in a line of rulings in which courts have declined to stretch existing statutes to broadly regulate AI, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Costco Chicken Case Highlights Food Labeling Lessons

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    Recent litigation over allegedly deceptive food labels, including the ongoing proposed class action in a California federal court over Costco's rotisserie chicken, shows that plaintiffs rarely focus on single label statements in isolation — so product claims that comply with regulations could still incur litigation risk, says Brandy Alonzo-Mayland at Michelman & Robinson.

  • Expect More Probes After 3rd Circ. Algorithmic Pricing Ruling

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    The Third Circuit's recent decision in Cornish-Adebiyi v. Caesars Entertainment, allowing algorithmic price-fixing claims to proceed past motions to dismiss, may serve as a road map for how to contend with increased litigation risk in this developing area of antitrust law, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Addressing Merchant Cash Advances In Subchapter V

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    As regulatory enforcement continues and more small businesses turn to Subchapter V bankruptcy to manage merchant cash advance debt, counsel and trustees can take meaningful steps throughout the bankruptcy process to successfully counteract the potentially nefarious actions of MCAs, say Hannah Hutman at Hoover Penrod and Starria Cuffee at Stretto.

  • SEC Rulemaking Radar: The Rubber Meets The Road

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rulemaking agenda shows its regulatory reset taking shape, with sweeping crypto proposals that could bring the biggest changes it has made to broker-dealer, exchange and trading compliance in decades, says Christopher Grobbel at Goodwin.

  • Mitigating The Risk Of Antiestablishment Jurors

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    The legal battles currently embroiling social media companies underscore that jurors with anti-corporate bias and conspiratorial thinking patterns pose myriad risks to corporate defendants, and defense counsel should adapt their trial strategies accordingly, say consultants at Persuasion Strategies.

  • CFPB Complaint Portal Overhaul Signals Changing Priorities

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's updates to its consumer complaint portal and decision to cease publishing consumer complaint narratives should be viewed by companies as one component of a larger recalibration of how the CFPB collects information and allocates its supervisory and enforcement resources, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Being In A Band Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing shows in storied New York City venues and rehearsing with my bandmates in poorly ventilated rooms helped develop the professional qualities I rely on as a litigator, including an ability to collaborate with strong-minded equals and the determination to treat each client with singular focus, says Eliad Shapiro at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    After 2026's second quarter, there is more authority rejecting class certification on total loss valuation theories from courts at the federal circuit, federal district and state appellate level — along with a resolution of a novel issue of depreciation on a wildfire claim, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • 10th Circ. Ruling Undermines False Ad 'Two Clicks' Rule

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    The Tenth Circuit’s recent ruling in KetoNatural Pet Foods v. Hill's Pet Nutrition substantially challenges a long-standing assumption that a company can avoid responsibility for promotional claims simply because the consumer encountered them by clicking a hyperlink to a third-party website, say attorneys at Venable.

  • 6 Key Takeaways From CFIUS Annual Report

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    Attorneys at Simpson Thacher review highlights from the annual report of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., released to Congress this month, including the launch of the American First Investment Policy and the Known Investor Pilot Program, and the agency's continued focus on enforcement despite its resource constraints.

  • Mich. Ruling Gives Consumer Protection Law Its Teeth Back

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    The Michigan Supreme Court's recent decision in Attorney General v. Eli Lilly, overruling key holdings in two earlier cases, means that Michigan businesses can no longer defeat allegations of deceptive conduct under the state's consumer protection law simply by pointing to any governmental regulation of the business, say attorneys at DiCello Levitt.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Surviving A Long Trial

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    Most of law school trial advocacy is geared toward the sprint of trying a short case, but beyond managing a cross-examination or closing argument, effectively handling the marathon of a lengthy trial requires the ability to maintain composure, organization and credibility with the jury, says Mihir Elchuri at Hirschler.

  • AI Chatbot's Medical Claims Highlight Enforcement Risks

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    The Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine's recent lawsuit against Character Technologies, arguing that an artificial intelligence chatbot engaged in the unlicensed practice of medicine, may provide other state licensing boards with a road map for going after AI platforms, and counsel should advise clients to calibrate compliance accordingly, say attorneys at Cooley.

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