Consumer Protection

  • June 07, 2024

    Split 5th Circ. Panel Calls Texas County 'True Library Police'

    A Texas public library will have to reshelve several books that deal with issues such as racism and sexuality after a contentious majority ruling by a Fifth Circuit panel called the public officials and residents behind the book bans "the true library police."

  • June 07, 2024

    Don't Delay In-House Handbags Case For Fed. Court, FTC Told

    Federal Trade Commission staffers are urging the commission not to delay an in-house challenge to the planned $8.5 billion merger combining the parent companies of Coach and Michael Kors, arguing that a separate New York federal court fight won't automatically determine the deal's fate.

  • June 07, 2024

    'Why Are You Even Here?' Judge Prods Big Tobacco

    A Washington state appellate panel on Friday criticized Philip Morris USA Inc. and other tobacco companies for attempting to pay the state less under a 1998 master settlement agreement, with one judge asking a Big Tobacco attorney why they were in court in the first place.

  • June 07, 2024

    7 Health Insurers Eye Rate Hikes In Connecticut

    Seven health insurers have asked Connecticut state regulators to approve rate hikes of 7.4% to 12.5% for individual market plans and 5.1% to 13.6% for small groups, averaging out to a lesser increase than last year's, according to an announcement Friday.

  • June 07, 2024

    Cities, Cable Cos. Seek Reg Changes As FCC Studies Markets

    Cities want the Federal Communications Commission to jettison rules that they say unduly restrict cable franchise fees, while the cable business says the FCC needs to back off on regulation, as the agency scrutinizes the competitive landscape across multiple industries.

  • June 07, 2024

    Lumbee Tribe Family Says Bias Sunk Home Rental Application

    A family of Lumbee Native American tribe members has alleged that a national real estate rental company violated the Fair Housing Act's anti-discrimination provisions by denying their housing application based on the father's single criminal conviction without giving him a chance to appeal.

  • June 07, 2024

    Coinbase, Kraken Profit Off Crypto Scams, Suit Says

    Cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase Inc. and Kraken face a pair of lawsuits filed by a former customer who accused them of using their platforms to attract scammers and victims to make a profit by taking operating fees.

  • June 07, 2024

    FCC Asks 6th Circ. To Transfer Net Neutrality Cases To DC

    The Federal Communications Commission on Friday urged the Sixth Circuit to transfer a set of challenges to the FCC's recently passed net neutrality rules to the D.C. Circuit, where similar suits have previously played out.

  • June 07, 2024

    FCA, Cummins' $6M Engine Defect Deal Gets OK'd

    A Michigan federal judge gave the go-ahead Friday to a $6 million settlement to resolve claims that Cummins Inc. made defective engines that went into FCA US LLC's Dodge Ram vehicles. FCA, now part of Stellantis NV, was once better known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

  • June 07, 2024

    NetChoice Challenges 'Onerous' Ga. E-Commerce Law

    NetChoice LLC, an industry group representing some of America's largest e-commerce platforms, filed suit hoping to block a new Georgia law they say "jumps the tracks" from reasonable oversight and monitoring requirements to laying down "impermissible investigation mandates."

  • June 07, 2024

    Ranbaxy Units Overcome Lipitor Antitrust MDL

    Multiple Ranbaxy Inc. entities have defeated multidistrict litigation accusing them of conspiring with Pfizer Inc. to delay releasing a generic alternative to blood pressure drug Lipitor, as a New Jersey federal judge on Thursday criticized the drug purchasers' "speculative" arguments.

  • June 07, 2024

    Pilgrim's Pride Largely Can't Pause Chicken Farmers' Suit

    An Oklahoma federal judge largely refused Friday to pause a lawsuit accusing Pilgrim's Pride of conspiring with other chicken producers to suppress farmer compensation while Pilgrim's appeals certification of over 24,000 farmers, finding it does not matter if the $2.77 billion damages claim might pressure the company to settle.

  • June 07, 2024

    Texas AG, Spirit AeroSystems Duel Over Safety Probe

    Spirit AeroSystems Inc. and Texas Attorney General Kenneth Paxton each asked a federal court for an early win in their dispute over the state's probe into Spirit's management, with Spirit arguing the state's Request to Examine statute violates the Fourth Amendment, and Paxton arguing it is a constitutionally compliant subpoena.

  • June 07, 2024

    Texas Top Court Denies Roofer's Challenge To Adjuster Laws

    The Supreme Court of Texas tossed on Friday a roofing company's challenge to the state's public adjuster licensing laws, saying that requiring a license or preventing certain conduct didn't violate the roofer's free speech rights.

  • June 07, 2024

    Dreamland Falsely Touts Safe Weighted Swaddle, Parent Says

    Dreamland Baby Co. "boldly markets" its weighted swaddles and blankets as pediatrician-approved and safe for babies and toddlers, but medical associations and government regulators have condemned these kinds of weighted products as being harmful, according to a proposed class action filed Thursday in California federal court.

  • June 07, 2024

    GOP Lawmakers Want Chinese Battery Cos. Blacklisted

    Republican lawmakers urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to add two Chinese battery makers to an import blacklist for having ties to a Chinese government entity that the U.S. government has sanctioned for human rights abuses against China's Uyghur minority.

  • June 07, 2024

    Off The Bench: NFL On Trial, Betting Crackdowns, Tennis Suit

    In this week's Off The Bench, the NFL stands trial in a massive antitrust class action over its Sunday Ticket broadcast package, a series of sports betting crackdowns makes waves in the MLB and the NBA, and the U.S. Tennis Association denies any liability for a player's sexual assault by her coach.

  • June 07, 2024

    Uber Can Arbitrate With Paralyzed Rider, Mass. Justices Rule

    Massachusetts' highest court on Friday ruled Uber Technologies Inc. had made its terms of service clear enough to move a paralyzed rider's case to arbitration, despite a dissent from one justice who said the company should spell out the rights that riders surrender when they hail a car.

  • June 07, 2024

    Philly Legal Services Group Backs FTC Noncompete Ban

    Community Legal Services, which represents the poorest Philadelphians in legal matters, threw its support Friday behind the Federal Trade Commission's bid to ban business from forcing employees into noncompete agreements.

  • June 07, 2024

    Google Ad Tech Case Won't Go To Jury Due To Co.'s Payment

    A Virginia federal judge ruled Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice's case accusing Google of monopolizing key digital advertising technology will be heard by the bench, and not a jury, thanks to a $2.3 million check from Google covering the amount enforcers could be awarded if they prevail.

  • June 06, 2024

    Google Gets Tweaked AI Data-Scraping Complaint Axed

    A California federal judge on Thursday agreed to dismiss — for now — a proposed class action claiming Google steals private and copyrighted information to train its artificial intelligence chatbot, pointing to a recent ruling siding with Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI in a similar case.

  • June 06, 2024

    Texas AG Takes Aim At Carmakers Selling Drivers' Data

    Texas' attorney general has become the latest to turn up the data-privacy heat on connected car manufacturers, revealing Thursday that his office has begun an investigation into how these companies amass and sell drivers' data to third parties, including insurance providers.

  • June 06, 2024

    NFL Sunday Ticket Is A Rigged Game, Antitrust Jury Told

    An attorney for NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers told a California jury Thursday during opening statements of a multibillion-dollar antitrust suit that secret documents will prove the NFL engaged in anticompetitive behavior, and the trial would reveal the "darker side of the NFL behind the shield."

  • June 06, 2024

    Roundup MDL Judge Worries Plaintiffs Firms Overstretched

    A California federal judge presiding over multidistrict personal injury litigation over Monsanto's Roundup weed killer expressed concerns Thursday that plaintiffs firms may be taking on "a whole bunch of cases" they don't have the ability to prosecute just to settle "on the cheap," calling the prospect "a little bit disturbing."

  • June 06, 2024

    Calif. Judge Pauses Wells Fargo Investor Row Over State Case

    A California federal judge has paused a pension system's proposed class action accusing top Wells Fargo & Co. officers of enabling a "culture of lawlessness," making way for a state court suit that alleges similar wrongdoing.

Expert Analysis

  • 15 Quick Tips For Uncovering And Mitigating Juror Biases

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    As highlighted by the recent jury selection process in the criminal hush money trial against former President Donald Trump, juror bias presents formidable challenges for defendants, and attorneys must employ proactive strategies — both new and old — to blunt its impact, say Monica Delgado and Jonathan Harris at Harris St. Laurent.

  • Colo. Lending Law Could Empower State-Chartered Banks

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    Lending programs that rely on rate exportation by state banks should pay close attention to legislative activity and ongoing litigation surrounding Colorado's decision to opt out of rate exportation, which could set a precedent that state-chartered banks have power on par with national banks, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • Tiny Tweaks To Bank Merger Forms May Have Big Impact

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    The impact of proposed changes to the Federal Reserve Board's and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s bank merger review forms would be significant, resulting in hundreds of additional burden hours for bank merger applicants and signaling a further shift by the prudential bank regulators toward more rigorous scrutiny of mergers, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • How CFPB Credit Card Rules Slot Into Broader Considerations

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    Swirling legal challenges against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent rulemaking concerning credit card late fees raise questions about how regulated entities should respond to the bureau's rules — and how quickly they should act, say Caitlin Mandel and Elizabeth Ireland at Winston & Strawn.

  • Car Apps, Abuse Survivor Safety And The FCC: Key Questions

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    A recent request for comment from the Federal Communications Commission, concerning how to protect the privacy of domestic violence survivors who use connected car services, raises key questions, including whether the FCC has the legal authority to limit access to a vehicle's connected features to survivors only, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Lessons On Challenging Class Plaintiffs' Expert Testimony

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    In class actions seeking damages, plaintiffs are increasingly using expert opinions to establish predominance, but several recent rulings from California federal courts shed light on how defendants can respond, say Jennifer Romano and Raija Horstman at Crowell & Moring.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • FTC Noncompete Rule's Impact On Healthcare Nonprofits

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    Healthcare entities that are nonprofit or tax-exempt and thus outside of the pending Federal Trade Commission noncompete rule's reach should evaluate a number of potential risk factors and impacts, starting by assessing their own status, say Ben Shook and Tania Archer at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Businesses Should Take Their AI Contracts Off Auto-Renew

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    When subscribing to artificial intelligence tools — or to any technology in a highly competitive and legally thorny market — companies should push back on automatic renewal contract clauses for reasons including litigation and regulatory risk, and competition, says Chris Wlach at Huge Inc.

  • Trump Hush Money Case Offers Master Class In Trial Strategy

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    The New York criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump typifies some of the greatest challenges that lawyers face in crafting persuasive presentations, providing lessons on how to handle bad facts, craft a simple story that withstands attack, and cross-examine with that story in mind, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Devil's In The Details On FDCPA, Article III Standing

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    The Third Circuit’s recent decision in Barclift v. Keystone Credit Services concerning the alleged harm needed to support a class action under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is in line with other circuits' interpretations of Article III of the Constitution, notwithstanding disagreement over the minutiae of a proper Article III analysis, says Nick Agnello at Burr & Forman.

  • Leveraging Insurance Amid Microplastics Concerns

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    A pending microplastics lawsuit — New York v. PepsiCo Inc. — may be a harbinger of what is to come for companies whose products are exposed to the environment, so any company considering how to address microplastics liability should include a careful assessment of the potential for insurance coverage in its due diligence, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Airlines Must Prepare For State AG Investigations

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    A recent agreement between the U.S. Department of Transportation and 18 states and territories will allow attorneys general to investigate consumer complaints against commercial passenger airlines — so carriers must be ready for heightened scrutiny and possibly inconsistent enforcement, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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