Consumer Protection

  • June 02, 2025

    Dominion Opposes Cable Plan To Ease Utility Pole Fixes

    Dominion Energy is again criticizing a telecom industry proposal meant to expedite the process for putting communications attachments on utility poles, saying the telecom trade association behind the push is conflating simpler work lower on poles and more dangerous work above the space on poles where communications lines typically go.

  • June 02, 2025

    CFPB, Banks Move In For Kill Of Biden-Era Open Banking Rule

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a coalition of banking trade groups have separately pushed to toss the agency's Biden-era open banking rule, with the CFPB now contending the data-sharing mandate exceeded its legal authority and the banks calling the regime burdensome, irrational and unlawfully vague.

  • June 02, 2025

    Justices Urged To Reject Bid Disputing IRS Crypto Summons

    The U.S. Supreme Court should not take up the case of a bitcoin investor who claimed the IRS violated his privacy when it seized his records from the cryptocurrency exchange, the government argued, saying the case is a poor vehicle for addressing concerns about digital-era transactions.

  • June 02, 2025

    Verizon Voice BIPA Claims Should Be Arbitrated, Judge Says

    Two Verizon Wireless customers who say the telecommunications giant illegally collects, uses and stores their personal identifying voice data must hash out their dispute in arbitration, an Illinois federal judge said.

  • June 02, 2025

    Emotional Distress Claim Dropped In Ohio Derailment Lawsuit

    An industrial tube maker dropped an emotional distress claim from a seven-count complaint seeking to hold Norfolk Southern liable for the fallout to local businesses impacted by a February 2023 train derailment and chemical spill in Ohio, according to an order released Monday.

  • June 02, 2025

    Girardi's Dropped Pants Don't Sway Judge From Sentencing

    A California federal judge ruled Monday she will sentence Tom Girardi this week for his wire fraud conviction, finding him mentally competent enough to potentially serve prison time following a bizarre hearing where the disbarred attorney made an appearance on the witness stand that culminated in his pants falling down.

  • June 02, 2025

    PG&E, Lenders Hit With Suit Over Solar Panel 'Scheme'

    Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. and several other companies were accused in California federal court of running a "bait-and-switch" scheme in which they saddle homeowners with hidden fees after tricking them into financing solar panel installations through zero-interest loans.

  • June 02, 2025

    3 Firms Denied Interim Lead Roles In Data Breach Suit

    An Ohio federal judge has denied three firms' requests to lead proposed class claims over a data breach concerning Buckeye State college students, calling the request premature and venturing that the firms' true intentions could be to gain a competitive edge in similar cases in Michigan or in future multidistrict litigation.

  • June 02, 2025

    Justices Want Gov't View On Duke Energy Monopoly Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court asked the Solicitor General on Monday to provide the government's view on a ruling that revived antitrust claims accusing Duke Energy of squeezing a rival out of the power market in North Carolina.

  • June 02, 2025

    J&J Again Seeks To Block Beasley Allen In NJ Talc Litigation

    Johnson & Johnson has opposed a New Jersey talc claimant's motion for the pro hac vice admission of two attorneys from The Beasley Allen Law Firm, claiming the partners' conduct in its talc unit's bankruptcy proceedings warrants denial of the application.

  • June 02, 2025

    No Class Cert. For Recipients Of Debt Collection Letter

    Consumers who received letters threatening legal action if they did not pay debt collector IC System Inc. can't get class certification from a Pennsylvania federal judge, who ruled that she would need individual assessments to determine if hundreds, if not thousands of recipients suffered harm from getting the letter.

  • June 02, 2025

    Defamation Litigation Roundup: Cheetos, NASCAR, OpenAI

    In this month's review of ongoing defamation fights, Law360 looks back on developments in a man's case against Frito-Lay Inc. over what he called the company's defamatory statements disputing his role in the invention of a flavor of Cheetos.

  • June 02, 2025

    High Court Skips AR-15 Ban Constitutionality For Now

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to weigh in on the debate over whether AR-15s and other semiautomatic rifles are protected under the Second Amendment or potentially subject to state bans because of their military-like capabilities.

  • May 30, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Won't Unblock Trump's Gov't Overhaul

    A split Ninth Circuit on Friday refused to lift a California federal judge's preliminary block of President Donald Trump's executive order directing layoffs at federal agencies, handing a win to a coalition of unions, nonprofits and cities that argue the order exceeded the president's authority.

  • May 30, 2025

    'Not Sure It Fits': Google Judge Challenges DOJ AI Boost Idea

    Generative artificial intelligence may be the future of online search, but a D.C. federal judge cast doubt Friday on the Justice Department's bid to force Google to share and syndicate its search results with companies like OpenAI as he mulls what remedies to impose against Google's search monopoly.

  • May 30, 2025

    Plaintiffs Appeal AI Sales Platform's Win In Identity Misuse Suit

    A group claiming to be part of a database maintained by 6Sense, which uses artificial intelligence to help businesses with sales and marketing, are appealing to the Ninth Circuit the dismissal of their proposed class action accusing the company of unlawfully using their identities to promote its products and services.

  • May 30, 2025

    Pharma Co. Hid Cancer Study Method Problems, Investor Claims

    Biotechnology company UroGen Pharma Ltd. and three current and former executives are facing a proposed investor class action in New Jersey federal court alleging the company failed to disclose methodology flaws affecting a study of its lead drug candidate that ultimately doomed its bid for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.

  • May 30, 2025

    Broadband Rate Regs Hurt Competition, Report Says

    Capping broadband rates for low-income families is a bad idea, according to a new study backed by cable trade group ACA Connects, which found that such caps negatively impacts competition.

  • May 30, 2025

    Rocket Mortgage Class Asks Justices To Scope Decertification

    Rocket Mortgage borrowers who saw their class action against the lender decertified have told the U.S. Supreme Court that another pending case before it will resolve the question that undid their own class standing, and their litigation should be put on hold until that case is resolved.

  • May 30, 2025

    $5.2M Generic Drug Price-Fixing MDL Deal Gets Final OK

    Apotex Corp. will be paying $5.2 million to settle claims from a class of indirect purchasers alleging the drugmaker was working with other pharmaceutical companies to hike up the price of certain generic medications.

  • May 30, 2025

    SEC's Staking Guidance Ignores Court Rulings, Crenshaw Says

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's dismissal of its lawsuit against crypto exchange Binance paved the way for its staff's same-day statement that many "staking" services are no longer subject to agency jurisdiction, according to the SEC's sole Democrat, who criticized the move as conflicting with a pair of court decisions the agency won.

  • May 30, 2025

    'Humongous' Apple Must Face Boosted 186M Antitrust Class

    A California federal judge on Friday granted App Store users' request to amend their class definition in a yearslong antitrust fight against Apple, rejecting Apple's argument that the changes unfairly add millions of new members and noting that the 185.9 million-member class stems from the fact Apple is "humongous."

  • May 30, 2025

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    Saying that June's circuit court calendars include important arguments in all practice areas would be hyperbolic — but just slightly. That's because significant showdowns are imminent involving appellate procedure principles, "click-to-cancel" rules, government procurement protests, judiciary employment protections and litigation risk insurance — as well as President Donald Trump's felony convictions and extraordinary deportation measures.

  • May 30, 2025

    Meta Looks To Nix FTC's Lead Econ Expert After Antitrust Trial

    Meta Platforms asked a D.C. federal judge Friday to strike testimony the Federal Trade Commission's lead economics expert gave during a bench trial in the antitrust case over Meta's purchase of Instagram and WhatsApp, saying the "biased witness" — a New York University School of Law professor — "advocated" for the case.

  • May 30, 2025

    NSO Wants New WhatsApp Hack Trial After Meta's $168M Win

    Israeli spyware developer NSO Group has asked a California federal judge for a new trial to determine damages for installing spyware on 1,400 phones using Meta-owned WhatsApp, saying the punitive damages portion of a roughly $168 million award was egregious and revealed the jury's "general hostility" toward the company.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • How Attorneys Can Make The Most Of A Deposition Transcript

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    With recent amendments to federal evidence rules now in effect, it’s more important than ever to make sure that deposition transcripts are clear and precise, and a few key strategies can help attorneys get the most out of a transcript before, during and after a deposition, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • Getting Ahead Of The SEC's Continued Focus On Cyber, AI

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is showing it will continue to scrutinize actions involving cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, but there are proactive measures that companies and financial institutions can take to avoid regulatory scrutiny going forward, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

  • Breaking Down Ill. Bellwether Case For Bank Preemption

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    The banking industry's pending lawsuit against the state of Illinois stands to permanently enjoin state regulation of bank card processing, as well as clarify the outstanding and consequential issue of whether conflict preemption continues to cover third parties in certain circumstances, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • Series

    Teaching College Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving as an adjunct college professor has taught me the importance of building rapport, communicating effectively, and persuading individuals to critically analyze the difference between what they think and what they know — principles that have helped to improve my practice of law, says Sheria Clarke at Nelson Mullins.

  • Planning For Open Banking Despite CFPB Uncertainty

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    Though pending litigation or new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau leadership may reshape the Biden-era regulation governing access to consumer financial data, companies can use this uncertain period to take practical steps toward an open banking strategy that will work regardless of the rule’s ultimate form, says Adam Maarec at McGlinchey Stafford.

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