Consumer Protection

  • March 22, 2024

    Ad Watchdog Refers Charter's T-Mobile Claims To FTC

    The Federal Trade Commission needs to look at some misleading advertising claims Charter Communications has been making about its Spectrum brand internet service compared to T-Mobile's, according to the National Advertising Division.

  • March 22, 2024

    9th Circ. Sends OppFi Predatory Lending Suit To Arbitration

    The Ninth Circuit has sent a proposed class action accusing Opportunity Financial LLC of issuing usurious loans back to the district court, ordering it to grant the lender's bid for arbitration after finding the lower court erred in ruling that the company's arbitration clause is "substantively unconscionable."

  • March 22, 2024

    EPA Clean Cars Rule Charts Auto Industry Transformation

    The Biden administration's strictest-ever regulations curbing tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks deliberately aim to re-energize a U.S. auto industry transformation toward electric vehicles in the face of lower consumer demand, an increasingly antagonistic political climate and almost certain legal challenges, experts say.

  • March 22, 2024

    Amazon, Apple Say Antitrust Attys Can't Ditch 'Fatal' Class Rep

    Amazon and Apple say plaintiffs' counsel in a proposed antitrust suit should be stuck with their class representative, who apparently ghosted his attorneys, arguing the lawyers should have to live with a plaintiff whose purchasing habits undercut the suit's very premise.

  • March 22, 2024

    Trims Recommended In Zelle Fraud Victims' Case Against BofA

    A North Carolina federal magistrate judge has recommended trimming claims in a proposed class action that alleges Bank of America NA didn't compensate for or adequately investigate scammers' unauthorized Zelle transactions despite assurances to victims who lost thousands of dollars.

  • March 22, 2024

    Apple AirTag Judge Open To Injunctive Cert. In Stalking Suit

    A California federal judge overseeing claims that Apple Inc. failed to safeguard its AirTag tracking device from being abused by stalkers said Friday it's "exceedingly unlikely" a proposed damages class will be certified, but a proposed class seeking injunctive relief is likely to snag certification, at least on some claims.

  • March 22, 2024

    Bestwall Says 'Texas Two-Step' Irrelevant To Asbestos Ch. 11

    Bestwall, the bankrupt asbestos unit of Georgia-Pacific, told the U.S. Supreme Court Friday that a pre-bankruptcy corporate restructuring in Texas that separated its asbestos liability from the parent business should not matter in determining whether a bankruptcy court has jurisdiction over the subsidiary's asbestos injury claims.

  • March 22, 2024

    Google Loses New Trial Bid After Epic Games' Antitrust Win

    A California federal judge denied Google LLC's bid for a new trial and teed up for a May hearing on a possible court-ordered injunction against the tech giant, following Epic Games' jury win on antitrust claims related to Google Play Store and Android apps.

  • March 22, 2024

    Flyers Say JetBlue-Spirit Deal Case Not Done, Push For Win

    The private plaintiffs challenging the failed JetBlue-Spirit merger indicated they're not done despite the companies' abandonment of the deal, pushing a Massachusetts federal court to grant them a win on their antitrust claims.

  • March 22, 2024

    5th Circ. Axes EPA's PFAS Enforcement Against Plastic Co.

    The Fifth Circuit threw out two enforcement actions against a Texas plastic-container manufacturer that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accused of creating perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in its manufacturing process, saying the agency exceeded its statutory authority.

  • March 22, 2024

    Home Sellers Hope $58M Compass Deal Helps Spur Others

    Compass Inc. announced Friday that it would pay home sellers $57.5 million in the first settlement since the National Association of Realtors reached its own deal this month to pay $418 million and overhaul rules that have effectively restricted how brokers buy and sell homes and how they're paid.

  • March 22, 2024

    Final OK Sought For Economic Loss Deal In CPAP Recall MDL

    Users of Philips' recalled CPAP breathing machines have asked a Pennsylvania federal judge to give her final OK to their $467.5 million settlement with the company to cover economic loss claims, arguing only a few objections to the deal remain.

  • March 22, 2024

    Feds Reach Deal To Seize, Sell FTX Executive Jets

    Federal prosecutors Friday told a New York federal judge they have reached a deal to seize and sell private jets intended to take convicted fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried and top executives of his bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX to and from the company's Bahamian headquarters.

  • March 22, 2024

    200K Toyota Camry Drivers Ink Deal Over Smelly HVAC

    A certified class of 200,000 Toyota Camry XV50 drivers alleging a defect caused their cars' HVAC systems to emit foul odors asked a California federal judge Thursday to preliminarily approve a settlement which includes up to $100 reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs to replace and install charcoal filters. 

  • March 22, 2024

    Firearms Co. Agrees To Dissolve Amid Conn. 'Ghost Gun' Suit

    One of four firearms companies that the Connecticut attorney general sued in 2023 over the online sale of "ghost gun" parts has stopped operating and agreed to dissolve, according to a stipulated judgment that would release Florida-based Steel Fox Firearms Inc. from the litigation.

  • March 22, 2024

    FCC Ready To Propose Local Georouting For 988 Calls

    The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to take action to make sure that calls coming into the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline are being routed to the nearest call center and not another one states away.

  • March 22, 2024

    US Antitrust Enforcers Keep Big Tech Cases Coming

    A backlash against powerful tech companies is reaching a fever pitch in the U.S., as enforcers with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission now have pending lawsuits accusing Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta of monopolizing key digital markets.

  • March 22, 2024

    Senators Call On White House To Declassify TikTok Info

    A pair of U.S. senators is calling on the Biden administration to declassify information from TikTok and its owner ByteDance, citing national security concerns.

  • March 22, 2024

    Ex-Ga. Insurance Head Cops To Healthcare Kickback Scheme

    Former Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine pled guilty Friday to working with an Atlanta-area doctor to run a multimillion-dollar medical testing kickback scheme just weeks before he was set to face trial in federal court.

  • March 22, 2024

    Fleetcor, Ga. Man Agree To Settle Reimbursement Denial Row

    A Georgia man claiming a payment processing company wrongfully denied him reimbursement for funds stolen from his bank account has agreed to settle his suit with the parent company Fleetcor Technologies Inc. in Georgia federal court.

  • March 22, 2024

    Supermarket Chain Can't Flush Class Suit Over Wipes

    A federal judge on Friday declined to toss a Massachusetts man's proposed class action against Stop & Shop that accused the supermarket chain of falsely marketing its store-brand cleansing wipes as "flushable."

  • March 22, 2024

    5 Things To Know As SEC Takes Terraform Fraud Case To Trial

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's suit against collapsed cryptocurrency project Terraform and its creator Do Kwon takes center stage next week in U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff's courtroom in Manhattan, and at its heart is a question of whether the business deceived investors in the lead-up to the collapse that helped set off the so-called crypto winter.

  • March 22, 2024

    LifeCell Cleared Of Liability In NJ Strattice Hernia Mesh Trial

    New Jersey state jurors on Friday cleared LifeCell of liability in a Kentucky woman's suit alleging the design of its Strattice surgical mesh is defective and caused a hernia to reoccur and ultimately resulted in "life-altering" surgery, giving the medical device company the first win in a venue with at least 93 pending cases with tort claims over the mesh.

  • March 21, 2024

    5th Circ. Backs FDA's Vivid Warnings Of Cigarette Dangers

    Government mandated text warnings and graphic images on cigarette packs to advertise the health risks of smoking do not violate the free speech rights of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and other cigarette manufacturers, the Fifth Circuit ruled Thursday, saying the warnings are "factual and uncontroversial" and pass constitutional muster.

  • March 21, 2024

    Nexstar Ducks Antitrust Suit Over Retransmission Fees

    DirecTV says it refused to ink retransmission deals with two companies that were illegally collaborating with Nexstar Media Group Inc. to fix prices, resulting in massive channel blackouts and customer loss, but according to a New York federal judge, that refusal is why its antitrust claims fall flat.

Expert Analysis

  • How Color Psychology Can Help Tell Your Trial Narrative

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    Research shows that color is a powerful sensory input that affects memory and perception, so attorneys should understand how, when and why to use certain shades in trial graphics to enhance their narrative and draw jurors’ focus, says Adam Bloomberg at IMS Consulting.

  • A Look At Mass. Sports Betting Data Privacy Regulations

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    The Massachusetts Gaming Commission recently approved data privacy regulations under the state's sports wagering act to promote responsible gaming, showing a trend of regulators directing companies on how to protect personal information used by artificial intelligence systems, say Liisa Thomas and Kathryn Smith at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Crypto, Audit Cases Dominate SEC's Enforcement Focus In '23

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    Attorneys at Covington examine the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's fiscal year 2023 enforcement results, which marked the SEC's third consecutive year of increasing enforcement activity since Chair Gary Gensler took over in 2021 — this time driven by a focus on combating cryptocurrency-related scams and enforcing recordkeeping compliance.

  • New York Cybersecurity Amendments Raise Regulatory Bar

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    Financial service providers both in and outside New York should study recent changes to the state financial regulator's cybersecurity requirements, which add governance controls, technical safeguards and incident response protocols to improve what is already becoming the national benchmark for robust cybersecurity compliance programs, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Forecasting The Impact Of High Court Debit Card Rule Case

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    John Delionado and Aidan Gross at Hunton consider how the U.S. Supreme Court's forthcoming ruling in a retailer's suit challenging a Federal Reserve rule on debit card swipe fees could affect agency regulations both new and old, as well as the businesses that might seek to challenge them.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

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    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • FTC Warning Letters Note 5 Mistakes For Influencers To Avoid

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently sent warning letters to two trade associations and 12 health influencers over their social media posts, offering insight into how the agency plans to enforce its updated endorsement guides and highlighting five concerns to keep in mind for marketing campaigns, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

  • CFPB, DOJ Signal Focus On Fair Lending To Immigrants

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    New joint guidance from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Department of Justice effectively broadens the scope of protected classes under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to include immigration status, indicating a significant shift in regulatory scrutiny, say Alex McFall and Leslie Sowers at Husch Blackwell.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

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    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Cross-Market Implications In FTC's Anesthesia Complaint

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent complaint against a private equity firm's acquisition of anesthesiology practices highlights the controversial issue of cross-market harm in health care provider mergers, and could provide important insights into how a court may view such theories of harm, say Christopher Lau and Dina Older Aguilar at Cornerstone Research.

  • What Cos. Should Know About FTC's Proposed Junk Fee Rule

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently announced a notice of proposed rulemaking targeting junk fees and how businesses may advertise prices to consumers — and since it would give the agency powers to seek monetary penalties against businesses that do not comply, companies should look to get ahead now, say Phyllis Marcus and Nicole Johnson at Hunton Andrews.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Cos. Must Adapt To Calif. Immigration Data Privacy Law

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    California’s recently signed A.B. 947 expands the California Consumer Privacy Act and brings the state in line with other comprehensive privacy laws that address immigration status, meaning companies should make any necessary updates to their processes and disclosures, say Kate Lucente and Matt Dhaiti at DLA Piper.

  • Are CCOs Really In The SEC's Crosshairs?

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    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Enforcement Director Gurbir Grewal recently gave a speech to address the concerns of chief compliance officers in light of recent enforcement actions taken against them, but CCOs need to understand when to push back against management, quit, or report issues to the board or to regulators, say Brian Rubin and Adam Pollet at Eversheds Sutherland.

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