Consumer Protection

  • July 18, 2025

    FCC Seeks To Change How It Handles Broadband Report

    The Federal Communications Commission got the ball rolling Friday on its annual inquiry into how available advanced telecommunications are to everyone in the country, only a few weeks before it will vote to change the way it evaluates how well broadband is being deployed.

  • July 18, 2025

    As Trump Signs Stablecoin Bill, Attorneys Talk Compliance

    President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a bill to regulate stablecoins, known as the Genius Act, and practitioners are now turning their attention to helping firms comply with both the provisions of the statute and the coming rulemakings from regulators.

  • July 18, 2025

    Judge Advised Against State AG Intervention In Sandoz Deal

    A special master on Friday advised a Pennsylvania federal court to deny a bid by California and other state attorneys general to intervene in a $275 million settlement resolving generic-drug price-fixing claims against Sandoz, finding they lacked standing to represent the interests of consumers.

  • July 18, 2025

    Boeing Urges 4th Circ. To Decertify 737 Max Investor Class

    Boeing told the Fourth Circuit on Friday that a Virginia district court flouted U.S. Supreme Court precedent by certifying a class of investors alleging the company misrepresented the safety of its 737 Max 9 fleet after a door plug blowout, saying there's zero evidence backing the plaintiffs' damages theories.

  • July 18, 2025

    Hyatt, Hilton Beat Room Price-Fixing Antitrust Suit, For Now

    Hyatt, Hilton, Wyndham and other hotels beat a proposed antitrust class action, for now, alleging that they shared confidential occupancy data and prices through IDeaS's revenue management software to inflate room rates, after a California federal judge said Friday the suit doesn't plausibly allege a horizontal agreement or parallel conduct among them.

  • July 18, 2025

    Plaintiffs' Expert Says Tesla Deleted Data From Crashed Car

    A vehicle accident reconstruction expert told jurors Thursday that data from the Tesla Model S involved in a fatal Florida Keys crash had been deleted after the crash by the automaker, which is defending its autopilot system at a trial in Miami.

  • July 18, 2025

    Social Media MDL Judge Could Bifurcate Bellwether Trials

    A California federal judge presiding over multidistrict litigation by school districts and personal injury plaintiffs claiming social media is addictive said Friday she'll likely bifurcate bellwether trials into two phases, with the judge presiding over the second phase, if plaintiffs seek any relief "that may be injunctive in nature."

  • July 18, 2025

    EU Says Vivendi Controlled Lagardère During Deal Review

    European enforcers have accused French media conglomerate Vivendi of exercising control over Lagardère's editorial operations and personnel decisions before and during a review of its acquisition.

  • July 18, 2025

    Safeway Can't Arbitrate False Ad Wine Discount Suit

    Safeway can't force customers to arbitrate their proposed false advertising class action alleging it markets bogus, limited-time offers of discounts on wine for its rewards members, after a California federal judge ruled that there's no evidence they agreed to arbitrate their disputes or had notice of Safeway's arbitration terms. 

  • July 18, 2025

    T-Mobile Wants Wash. AG's Data Breach Claims Tossed

    T-Mobile is calling its promises to protect its subscribers' privacy "puffery" in a bid to get out of a Washington state lawsuit over a 2021 cyberattack, saying its commitments to "safeguards" and to "do the right thing" with users' data couldn't have misled consumers because they were completely unspecific.

  • July 18, 2025

    Colo. Sues Businessman Over Small Biz Fee Scheme

    The state of Colorado sued a Florida businessman and his two companies Thursday in state court, saying they spent years running a scheme targeting small business owners, sending nearly 200,000 forms trying to solicit large fees for services that are actually free.

  • July 18, 2025

    FTC Nixes Exxon-Pioneer, Chevron-Hess Board Ban Deals

    The Biden-era Federal Trade Commission settlements clearing Exxon's purchase of Pioneer and Chevron's acquisition of Hess are no more, after the now Republican-controlled agency said there was no need to condition acquisition approvals on banning the CEOs of Pioneer and Hess from the boards of the combined companies.

  • July 18, 2025

    Albertsons Spam Text Plaintiff Gets Chance To Revise Suit

    A Washington federal judge on Friday threw out a proposed class action accusing Albertsons of sending consumers unsolicited text advertisements, yet she gave the plaintiff a shot at filing a new version of the lawsuit with a screenshot and more specifics to back his claims.

  • July 18, 2025

    Tread Carefully On Truth-In-Billing Rules, FCC Told

    The Federal Communications Commission says its slamming and truth-in-billing rules are outdated and has targeted them for cuts, but consumer and civil rights groups are urging the agency to be cautious in order to "ensure these changes do not come at the expense of core consumer protections."

  • July 18, 2025

    Sony Judge Finds 'Glaring' Issues In PlayStation Deal, Motion

    A California federal judge found "glaring shortcomings" in a $7.85 million deal Sony Interactive Entertainment struck to resolve antitrust claims over downloadable game card prices, saying that settlement credits are "generally disfavored," and the preliminary approval motion lacked information on what might have been won at trial.

  • July 18, 2025

    Cannabis And The Courts: A Midyear Litigation Review

    In the first half of 2025, lawsuits taking aim at state hemp restrictions, putative residency criteria in cannabis licensure programs and the federal policy that keeps users and convicted sellers of pot from lawfully owning guns were all briefed in multiple appellate courts across the country.

  • July 18, 2025

    Cannabis Edibles Maker Accused Of Hiding Prop. 65 Warnings

    A California resident is suing a Los Angeles cannabis-infused edibles maker, claiming its peel-back product labels deliberately hide the state-required Proposition 65 warning at the time of purchase, in the second private enforcement action filed by the plaintiff this year.

  • July 18, 2025

    Zillow Says Compass Can't Get Block On 'Zillow Ban'

    Zillow sought to flip the script Thursday on Compass's antitrust allegations targeting new standards limiting home listing eligibility for pre-marketed properties, telling a New York federal judge not to preliminarily block the rules because they're just an effort to use "transparency" to "mitigate the damaging effects of hidden listings."

  • July 18, 2025

    Acreage And Verano Seek Dismissal Of THC Potency Suits

    Cannabis giants Acreage and Verano this week urged Illinois federal judges to dismiss a pair of putative consumer class actions alleging the companies sold products with unlawfully high levels of the psychoactive cannabinoid THC.

  • July 18, 2025

    2nd Circ. Shields Official From NRA's Free Speech Suit Again

    A Second Circuit panel has said National Rifle Association's First Amendment lawsuit cannot survive a motion to dismiss because the former New York official accused of pressuring financial institutions to cut ties with the organization has qualified immunity.

  • July 18, 2025

    Telecoms Urge FCC To Modernize Networks To Fight Robocalls

    A major telecom trade group is urging the Federal Communications Commission to allow for industry-driven solutions to the problem of robocalls, saying the agency's current proposal to mandate specific technical standards for caller ID authentication have vulnerabilities that criminals could exploit.

  • July 18, 2025

    Armstrong Teasdale Adds Former CLO As A Litigator In Miami

    A former chief legal officer at professional services company Indelible has joined Armstrong Teasdale LLP as a litigation counsel in Miami.

  • July 17, 2025

    FDA Signs Off On Juul E-Cig Products After 5-Year Review

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday gave Juul the green light to market five e-cigarette products, although the FDA noted that the long-awaited authorization "does not mean these tobacco products are safe, nor are they FDA-approved."

  • July 17, 2025

    FDA Warns Firms Over Illegal Kratom Product Marketing

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned seven companies — including a California company facing a proposed class action — that they are illegally marketing products containing a potent kratom-derived compound, in letters that indicate intensified federal scrutiny of the opioid-like supplement.

  • July 17, 2025

    Facebook Whistleblower Calls Meta Discovery A Smear Job

    Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen on Thursday urged a California federal magistrate judge to limit Meta's discovery in multidistrict litigation over claims that social media is addictive and harmful to children's mental health, saying many of their requests are irrelevant and merely seek to smear her name.

Expert Analysis

  • Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook

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    The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.

  • High Court's Ruling May Not Stop Ghost Gun Makers

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    In Bondi v. VanDerStok, a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Gun Control Act applies to untraceable "ghost gun" kits under certain circumstances — but companies that produce these kits may still be able to use creative regulatory workarounds to evade government oversight, says Samuel Bassett at Minton Bassett.

  • Justices' Labcorp Questions Explore Class Cert. Tensions

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    At the recent oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings v. Davis, the justices' questioning highlighted a fundamental tension between constitutional standing requirements, the procedural framework of Rule 23, and the practical challenges of managing large, diverse classes in complex litigation, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • 4 Ways To Leverage A Jury's Underdog Perceptions

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    Counsel should consider how common factors that speak to their client's size, power, past challenges and alignment with jurors can be presented to try and paint their client as a sympathetic underdog, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • CFPB Vacatur Bid Sheds Light On Agency Decision-Making

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    While the CFPB's joint motion to vacate the settlement it reached with Townstone Financial last year won't affect precedent on the Equal Credit Opportunity Act's scope, it serves as a road map to CFPB decisional processes and provides insight into how other regulators make similar decisions, says Jason McElroy at Saul Ewing.

  • Why Hiring Former Jurors As Consultants Can Be Risky

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    The defense team's decision to hire former juror Victoria George in the high-profile retrial of Karen Read shines a spotlight on this controversial strategy, which raises important legal, ethical and tactical questions despite not being explicitly prohibited, says Nikoleta Despodova at ND Litigation.

  • The Potential Efficiencies, Risks Of Folding PCAOB Into SEC

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    Integrating the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board into the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission offers the potential for regulatory efficiencies, as well as a more streamlined and consistent enforcement approach, but it also presents constitutional and operational uncertainties, say attorneys at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Companies Crafting Tariff Surcharge Disclosures

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    As the Trump administration imposes tariffs on imports, retail businesses considering itemizing tariff-related costs separately for consumers must ensure that any disclosures are both accurate and defensible to avoid regulatory enforcement or private suits, says Christopher Cole at Katten.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigLaw

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    While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.

  • Top 3 Litigation Finance Deal-Killers, And How To Avoid Them

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    Like all transactions, litigation finance deals can sometimes collapse, but understanding the most common reasons for failure, including a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of deal terms, can help both parties avoid problems, say Rebecca Berrebi at Avenue 33 and Boris Ziser at Schulte Roth.

  • Compliance Lessons From Warby Parker's HIPAA Fine

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    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' civil money penalty against Warby Parker highlights the emerging challenges that consumer-facing brands encounter when expanding into healthcare-adjacent sectors, with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance being a potential focus of regulatory attention, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

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    Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • How Banks Can Manage Risk As AI Adoption Expands

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    Following new, supportive comments from financial regulatory leaders about the use of artificial intelligence in the industry, banks may move toward wider, less-tentative adoption of the technology, but will also need to deploy important risk management measures, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Rebuttal

    Mass Arbitration Reform Must Focus On Justice

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    A recent Law360 guest article argued that mass arbitration reform is needed to alleviate companies’ financial and administrative burdens, but any such reform must deliver real justice, not just cost savings for the powerful, says Eduard Korsinsky at Levi & Korsinsky.

  • What Bank Regulator Consolidation Would Mean For Industry

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    Speculation over the Trump administration’s potential plans to consolidate financial service regulators is intensifying uncertainty, but no matter the outcome for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the industry should expect continued policy changes, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

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