Consumer Protection

  • May 15, 2024

    En Banc 9th Circ. Will Mull Jurisdiction In Shopify Privacy Suit

    The Ninth Circuit agreed to review en banc a panel's decision dismissing a suit alleging payment processing company Shopify collects shoppers' sensitive information without permission, after the plaintiff argued the full court should hear the case to resolve how to assess personal jurisdiction in online misconduct cases.

  • May 15, 2024

    Exec Wants No Jail In Landmark Product Safety Conviction

    A former Gree USA executive convicted of failing to immediately report defective dehumidifiers known to catch fire, has asked a California federal judge to sentence him to probation and not incarceration, citing several companies that delayed reporting longer than he did and caused greater harm to customers but weren't criminally charged.

  • May 15, 2024

    Tesla Must Face Trimmed 'Full Self-Driving' False Ad Suit

    Tesla can escape warranty claims in an amended proposed class action alleging the electric automotive giant deceived drivers into falsely believing that its cars can fully pilot themselves, a California federal judge ruled Wednesday, but it must face fraud- and negligence-based claims related to representations made about the vehicles' hardware.

  • May 15, 2024

    FTC Chair Khan Defends Request For 25% Budget Increase

    Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan defended a 25% budget increase request during a House appropriations hearing Wednesday, calling it "healthy" that aggressive Biden administration merger enforcement has made antitrust considerations top of mind for companies mulling transactions.

  • May 15, 2024

    Media Coverage Not Enough To Move Flint Water Case

    A water engineering company accused by the Michigan attorney general of prolonging Flint residents' lead exposure cannot move its eventual trial out of the region, a Michigan state judge ruled Wednesday, saying the company could not assume the entire jury pool was biased. 

  • May 15, 2024

    FCC Could Require ISP Reports On Internet Routing Security

    The Federal Communications Commission will vote on a plan next month to require the largest broadband providers to file confidential reports on security of the internet's main routing technology, the Border Gateway Protocol.

  • May 15, 2024

    DoorDash Inks Deal To End NY AG's Conviction Bias Claims

    DoorDash has reached a settlement with New York Attorney General Letitia James to resolve allegations that the food delivery platform regularly rejected applicants with criminal histories without considering factors such as the nature of the conviction and its bearing on the job sought, the law enforcement official's office announced Wednesday.

  • May 15, 2024

    Monsanto's $23M False Ad Deal Challenged At 9th Circ.

    Counsel representing a certified class of Missouri consumers urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to reverse Monsanto's nationwide $23 million settlement resolving consumer false ad claims over risks associated with its Roundup weedkiller, arguing that Monsanto hid the settlement from the Missouri plaintiffs and that the class is effectively "getting absolutely nothing."

  • May 15, 2024

    Colo. Says Lending Law Challenge Aims To Strip Federal Right

    The state of Colorado has urged a federal judge to dismiss a suit seeking to block a new state law to rein in high-cost online lending by out-of-state banks, saying federal law "expressly permits" states to opt out of the relevant statute, so their interest rate laws will not be preempted by state-chartered banks.

  • May 15, 2024

    House-Passed FAA Reauthorization Bill Now Heads To Biden

    The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved multiyear legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration's safety and airport improvement programs, sending to President Joe Biden a package that would hire more air traffic controllers and enhance passenger protections amid high-profile aviation industry mishaps.

  • May 15, 2024

    School, Library Advocates Oppose 'Eyes On The Board Act'

    Tying E-rate funds to a school's willingness to restrict students' social media access while at school is a bad idea, a quartet of school and library advocates are telling Senate leaders in response to a bill that would do just that.

  • May 15, 2024

    Ex-FTX Exec Seeks Leniency, Saying He Was Kept In The Dark

    A former top FTX official has asked a Manhattan federal judge for a lenient 18-month sentence, saying he was not part of company co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried's inner circle and was as shocked as everyone else to learn that the crypto exchange was operating a fraud that siphoned billions in customer funds.

  • May 15, 2024

    FCC Ramps Up Spectrum Strategy With New Steering Team

    The Federal Communications Commission has pulled together a team of experts to help the Biden administration develop the policies necessary to bring the president's national spectrum strategy to fruition, the agency announced Tuesday.

  • May 15, 2024

    Senators Release 'Road Map' For Crafting Federal AI Policy

    A bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday laid out a "road map" for artificial intelligence policy that calls for increased AI innovation funding, testing of potential harms posed by AI and consideration of the technology's workforce implications.

  • May 15, 2024

    Klobuchar Wants FTC To Make Firms Report Real Estate Buys

    It's time for the Federal Trade Commission to require the companies and private equity firms gobbling up residential real estate to report those acquisitions to the agency for antitrust purposes the same way they have to report other big purchases, Sen. Amy Klobuchar said.

  • May 15, 2024

    Kirkland Guiding Billionaire McCourt On Bid To Buy TikTok

    Billionaire Frank McCourt, advised by Kirkland & Ellis, says he's building a consortium to purchase TikTok and redesign the platform to eliminate the collection of users' information, putting "people in control of their [own] digital identities and data." 

  • May 15, 2024

    Mortgage Co.'s $2.4M Data Breach Settlement Gets Initial OK

    A Connecticut federal judge gave her initial sign-off to a $2.4 million settlement between mortgage firm Planet Home Lending LLC and a consolidated class of customers whose personal data, including their Social Security numbers, was exposed in a cyberattack.

  • May 14, 2024

    In Hot Seat, FDIC's Gruenberg Pledges 'Fundamental Change'

    Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Martin Gruenberg will tell House lawmakers Wednesday that he is taking "full responsibility" for his agency's workplace misconduct scandal and eyeing "fundamental" structural reforms, striking a humbled but determined tone as he faces the first of two hearings that could be make-or-break for his job.

  • May 14, 2024

    Bedsheet Buyer Attys Clinch $3.5M Fee For Macy's Deal

    Lawyers representing a class of consumers that accused Macy's of lying about the thread count of its sheets will get $3.5 million as part of a $10.5 million settlement with the retailer, an Ohio federal judge ruled, but gave the lead plaintiffs a pittance, saying they did not work hard enough to get more.

  • May 14, 2024

    Asset Manager Cops To $1.2B Venezuelan Oil Co. Fraud

    An asset manager pled guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in a $1.2 billion scheme to embezzle money from Venezuela's state-owned oil company and launder it through false investment schemes in the U.S. and abroad.

  • May 14, 2024

    DOJ Says Boeing Violated 737 Max Deferred Prosecution Deal

    Boeing breached its deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice stemming from the deadly 737 Max 8 crashes, but the government hasn't yet decided whether it will criminally prosecute the American aerospace giant for defrauding regulators, the DOJ said in a Texas federal court filing Tuesday.

  • May 14, 2024

    Davis Wright-Led TikTok Creators Challenge Potential Ban

    Following TikTok Inc.'s lead, a group of creators on Tuesday lodged their own challenge to a new federal law that would exclude the popular app from the U.S. market unless it cuts ties with its Chinese parent company, telling the D.C. Circuit that the measure undermines the First Amendment.

  • May 14, 2024

    DOJ Search Case Unveils Google-Apple Pact, Consumers Say

    Private plaintiffs are asking for another crack at their antitrust suit accusing Google of entering illegal agreements to serve as the iPhone's default search engine, saying newly discovered contracts unearthed from the U.S. Department of Justice's ongoing case against the tech giant support a reconsideration.

  • May 14, 2024

    TV Execs Say Draft FCC Foreign Airtime Lease Regs 'Mutated'

    Television station executives are asking the Federal Communications Commission not to include political advertisements in a proposed rule that would require disclosure of foreign-sponsored airtime leases, arguing that doing so would be a "distortion" of the industry's previous request for clarification from the commission on previous identification rules.

  • May 14, 2024

    Ex-Wachovia Exec Owes $9M For Decade-Old Fraud, Feds Say

    A former senior trading executive-turned-Christian novelist still owes over $9 million in restitution on a 17-year-old conviction for a Ponzi-like scheme he ran while working for what was then Wachovia's investment banking unit, according to federal prosecutors.

Expert Analysis

  • What Retailers Should Note In Calif. Web Tracking Suits

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    As retailers face a deluge of class actions alleging the use of conventional web analytic tools violate wiretapping and eavesdropping provisions of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, uncovering the path toward a narrow interpretation of the law will largely depend on how these cases proceed, say Matthew Pearson and Kareem Salem at BakerHostetler.

  • Del. Ruling Adds Momentum For Caremark Plaintiffs

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    The Delaware Supreme Court's recent opinion in Lebanon County Employees' Retirement Fund v. Collis could be viewed as expanding plaintiffs' ability to viably plead a Caremark claim against directors, so Delaware companies should be on heightened alert and focus on creating a record of board oversight, say attorneys at V&E.

  • Key Maritime Law Issues In 2024: Election-Year Unknowns

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    In the final installment of this three-part article reviewing the top challenges for the maritime industry this year, Sean Pribyl at Holland & Knight examines how the uncertainty surrounding the forthcoming U.S. election may affect the maritime sector — especially companies involved in offshore wind and deep-sea mining.

  • The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift

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    As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.

  • Key Maritime Law Issues In 2024: Environmental Challenges

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    In the second installment of this three-part article examining key concerns for the maritime sector this year, Sean Pribyl at Holland & Knight considers how the industry will be affected by environmental concerns — including the growing push for decarbonization, and regulatory scrutiny around greenwashing and ESG issues.

  • 5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money

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    As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.

  • Following Banking Regulators' Breadcrumbs To 2024 Priorities

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    Through blog posts, speeches, and formal guidance and regulations, prudential and other federal and state financial regulators laid out a road map last year pointing to compliance priorities that should be reflected in financial institutions' planning this year, say Laurel Loomis Rimon and Gina Shabana at Jenner & Block.

  • How Biotech Deals May Help Competition, Despite FTC View

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    The Federal Trade Commission's complaint against Sanofi's proposed partnership with Maze Therapeutics highlights increasing skepticism of so-called killer acquisitions, but a closer look reveals potentially legitimate reasons behind why entities might decide to delay or abandon the development of acquired products, say consultants at Analysis Group.

  • Key Maritime Law Issues In 2024: Geopolitics And Sanctions

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    Major challenges are on the horizon for the U.S. maritime sector in 2024, including geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea and ever-evolving sanctions targeting Iran and Russia — which may lead to higher shipping costs and greater compliance burdens for stakeholders, says Sean Pribyl at Holland & Knight.

  • Directors And Officers Face Unique AI-Related Risks

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    As privacy, intellectual property and discrimination lawsuits focusing on artificial intelligence increase, corporate directors and officers must stay aware of associated risks, including those related to compliance, litigation and cybersecurity, says Jonathan Meer at Wilson Elser.

  • Series

    Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • New Strain Of Web Tracking Suits Pose Risks For Retailers

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    Amid an ongoing surge of California state and federal lawsuits that are using novel theories to allege companies used certain recording technologies to illegally track website users, retailers should take steps to develop a potential argument that customers consented to any alleged uses of these devices, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • The Questions Around Prometheum's SEC-Compliant Strategy

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    While the rest of the crypto industry has been engaged in a long-running battle to escape the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's jurisdiction, a once-obscure startup called Prometheum has instead embraced the SEC's view to become the first crypto special-purpose broker-dealer, but it's unclear whether it can turn its favored status into a workable business, says Keith Blackman at Bracewell.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52

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    Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.

  • NC TikTok Order Holds Lessons On Handling State AG Probes

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    Earlier this month, a North Carolina appeals court compelled TikTok to give the state attorney general information relating to 98,000 recorded Zoom meetings, reminding companies that successful civil litigation strategies may have the opposite effect in the state or regulatory investigation context, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

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