Consumer Protection

  • September 03, 2026

    Oil Cos. Seek Quick Appeal To Nix Suit Over Heat Wave Death

    Exxon, Chevron, Shell and other oil giants say they plan to seek appellate review of a Washington judge's order refusing to dismiss a civil suit over a woman's 2021 death that alleged the defendants knew their products were intensifying extreme weather patterns but downplayed risks to maximize profit.  

  • September 03, 2026

    CVS Escapes Customer's Generic Mucinex Benzene Suit

    An Illinois federal judge threw out a CVS customer's lawsuit claiming the pharmacy retailer sells an "economically worthless" generic Mucinex drug containing a known carcinogen, finding Thursday that his claims are preempted.

  • September 03, 2026

    Most Of Corteva's IP Claims Against Inari Move Along

    A Delaware federal court Thursday kept most claims alive in a case over seed intellectual property brought by Corteva Agriscience ahead of a trial set to begin later this month.

  • September 03, 2026

    MDL Attys Want Special Master To Vet Meta Privilege Claims

    Personal injury plaintiffs' counsel asked a California federal judge Wednesday to appoint a special master to review Meta's attorney-client privilege designations in social media addiction multidistrict litigation, arguing that Meta can't be trusted to review them in light of the judge's recent rulings that certain Meta trial-exhibit redactions were "entirely inappropriate."

  • September 03, 2026

    Ex-White House Aide Must Testify On Jan. 6 Attack, BBC Says

    The BBC on Thursday urged a Florida federal court to allow testimony from a former White House aide in President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit alleging defamation from a documentary about the U.S. Capitol attack in 2021, saying she knows whether the president intended to foment violence that day.

  • September 03, 2026

    More Suits Filed Blaming ChatGPT In Canada School Shooting

    OpenAI Inc. on Wednesday was hit with another wave of 30 lawsuits in California federal court over the February school shooting in Canada brought by surviving teachers, staff members and students who say that ChatGPT assisted and encouraged the shooter in planning the attack.

  • September 03, 2026

    OCC Gives Initial Nods To Digital Banks Revolut, OpenReserve

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency preliminarily approved charter applications from European digital bank Revolut and blockchain-based bank OpenReserve to establish national banks in the United States.

  • September 03, 2026

    FCC Denies Retaliatory Pretext In ABC License Renewal Probe

    The Federal Communications Commission urged a D.C. federal court Thursday to toss ABC's suit over the agency's early review of eight station licenses, denying that a discrimination probe of network parent Disney was a pretext for retaliating against ABC.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Mass. UHC Fraud Suit Signals States' Medicaid FCA Push

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    Massachusetts' recently filed False Claims Act suit alleging UnitedHealthcare misrepresented the health status of enrollees in a Medicaid senior care organization plan it managed pushes forward a new phase of state-level scrutiny of managed care data and Medicaid payment mechanisms, say Li Yu at Bernstein Litowitz, Ellen London at London & Naor and Gwendolyn Stamper at Vogel Slade.

  • Immigration Order Raises Customer ID Stakes For Banks

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    Following a recently issued immigration-related executive order, financial institutions should expect and prepare for increased scrutiny of customer due diligence and identification, suspicious activity monitoring, and consumer lending, as well as accompanying supervisory shifts and rising fair lending risks, says Douglas Weissinger at Butler Snow.

  • High Court Rulings Could Alter Agency Strategy For Cos.

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook mark major turning points in the law of independent agencies and in how regulated companies should think about federal enforcement, rulemaking and agency-facing strategy, say attorneys at Holtzman Vogel.

  • Preparing For Next Congress With Eye On Investigation Risk

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    Rod Rosenstein, Brian Whisler and Bruce Linskens at Baker McKenzie offer advice for organizations seeking to build a proactive response plan to potential congressional oversight as the election looms.

  • The Debanking Minefield: Navigating Fair Access In 2026

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    Federal regulators' recent elimination of reputational risk from bank supervision, alongside a growing patchwork of state fair access laws, is reshaping how banks make account and service decisions and ushering in a new compliance era requiring individualized, objective and risk-based access determinations, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

  • Carbon Health Settlement Highlights Why Evidence Is Key

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    The California Attorney General's Office's first-of-its-kind settlement with Carbon Health, imposing penalties for alleged corporate practice of medicine violations, shows that friendly professional corporation challenges usually hinge not on the parties' management services agreement, but on whether the operational record matches it, says Ben Dubin at VC Expert Services.

  • AI-Fueled Pro Se Suits Pose Rising Risk For Lenders

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    Harris v. Pinnacle Bank, a recently decided Mississippi federal court case, illustrates how pro se borrowers are using artificial intelligence to file more sophisticated documents that can complicate and prolong loan enforcement proceedings, making early procedural challenges and tighter litigation strategies increasingly important for lenders, says Joseph Briggett at Baker Donelson.

  • Series

    Being A Magician Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I've developed as a lifelong magician have translated directly into tangible benefits in the courtroom because performing magic and trying cases both live at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, timing and disciplined rehearsal, says Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild.

  • Illinois Audit Law Will Make AI Clauses Actually Enforceable

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    A law recently enacted in Illinois creates a first-in-the-nation requirement for artificial intelligence developers to undergo annual audits, providing objective standards that can be incorporated into private contracts and addressing the problem of defining responsible AI use, says William Tanenbaum at Moses & Singer.

  • Reel Justice: 'Obsession' And The Importance Of Precision

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    In “Obsession,” the main character’s failure to define the limits of his wish results in an unexpectedly horrifying outcome, highlighting for attorneys why careful word choice is essential not only in briefs, but also in charging decisions, statutory interpretation and all stages of criminal litigation, says Veronica Finkelstein at Widener-Delaware Law.

  • How State, Local Rules Are Expanding Debt Collection Reach

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    Consumer protection rules recently enacted by several states signal that the rules of debt collection are being rewritten at a pace that should command the attention of every creditor, servicer, debt buyer, collection agency and collection law firm operating across state lines, says Weldianne Scales at Reed Smith.

  • Future Of Fed Independence Shaky After Justices' Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v. Cook preserved the Federal Reserve's formal independence but could invite the president to remove board members with just modest protections, leaving the central bank's autonomy uncertain and potentially setting up fresh clashes over other agencies, says Steven Schwinn at the University of Chicago.

  • Series

    Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter brought several notable financial services law developments to Michigan, including a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on state tax foreclosures, progress on a money transmission modernization bill package, and continued legislative momentum on cryptocurrency and mortgage lending, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • Justices' Ruling Alters Playing Field For State Subpoena Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Davenport will spark more federal court challenges to state subpoenas, but procedural defenses will block some merits decisions, so plaintiffs must carefully time and manage parallel federal and state proceedings, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • AI Governance Tips For Avoiding Securities Suits

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    A recent securities class action in California federal court against lending platform Upstart highlights how statements about artificial intelligence are increasingly being scrutinized not only by regulators, but also by shareholders, meaning companies should ensure oversight frameworks keep pace with the technology, say attorneys at Akerman.

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