Consumer Protection

  • October 07, 2026

    FCC Eyes Spectrum Sale To Boost 5G, Satellite D2D

    The Federal Communications Commission's staff has teed up a proposal that would pave the way for a new auction of 25 megahertz worth of spectrum that could be used for advanced Earth-based wireless service and satellite connectivity to smart devices.

  • October 07, 2026

    5th Circ. Won't Revive Suit Against Dishwasher Water Rule

    The Fifth Circuit agreed with a Texas federal court that the Energy Policy and Conservation Act requires suits challenging federal water efficiency standards for appliances to be filed in circuit court.

  • October 07, 2026

    BMW Beats X5 Transmission Defect Suit, For Now

    BMW has defeated for now a proposed class action alleging it knew about a transmission component defect causing some of its cars to jerk and shudder but refused to cover repair costs, with a New Jersey federal judge saying Wednesday the allegations are insufficient to infer BMW knew about any defect.

  • October 07, 2026

    4th Circ. Says FCC Defied Congress Through Political Ad Rule

    A split Fourth Circuit panel Wednesday granted a request from Democratic candidates to force the Federal Communications Commission to issue a ruling on whether broadcasters may only charge the lowest possible rate for ads purchased by political committees attached to candidates.

  • October 07, 2026

    Milk Producers Accused Of Using Exports To Raise Prices

    Consumers have filed a proposed class action accusing major dairy producers and their trade association of violating antitrust law by using an export assistance program to divert sales abroad, allegedly resulting in higher domestic prices for milk and dairy products.

  • October 07, 2026

    Crypto.com Beats Website Users' Tracking Suit, For Now

    A California federal judge dismissed, for now, a proposed class action alleging Crypto.com's site operator allowed third parties to track visitors' browsing activities despite rejecting the use of cookies, ruling Monday the plaintiffs lack standing since the information that was allegedly collected wasn't sensitive enough to constitute concrete injury.

  • October 07, 2026

    Family Tells 5th Circ. Penske Can't Evade Crash Liability

    The family of a man killed in a Texas collision said a Fifth Circuit panel faithfully followed federal law when it revived its lawsuit alleging freight broker and trucking giant Penske is vicariously liable for the 2018 accident, and en banc review before the full court is unwarranted.

  • October 07, 2026

    Vape Group, Makers Want In On FDA E-Cig Enforcement Suit

    A vape industry group and a pair of manufacturers are asking a Maryland federal court to let them intervene on the side of the federal government in a suit by health groups challenging new guidance on enforcement priorities for new tobacco products.

  • October 07, 2026

    Scheduling 'Cascade' Hangs Over Amazon's FTC, Calif. Trials

    Amazon.com sparred with the Federal Trade Commission in a Washington federal court filing over whether to stick to a late March trial kickoff, or whether the multiple trials against the company in 2027 must be pushed back because a California state judge has called a January start unrealistic.

  • October 07, 2026

    Roblox Says Suicide Suit Must Be Arbitrated Or Dismissed

    Roblox Corp. is asking a Kentucky federal judge to send to arbitration a mother's suit alleging her teenage daughter died by suicide as a result of using the platform, saying both the child and her parents repeatedly agreed to an arbitration clause in its terms of service, and that it is immune from liability for third-party content.

  • October 07, 2026

    Don't Let Post-Merger Iridium Disrupt Astronomy, FCC Told

    Astronomers have warned the Federal Communications Commission that aerospace company Rocket Lab USA Inc. must fulfill its obligations to avoid harmful interference if the agency approves the license transfer needed for its proposed $8 billion purchase of satellite operator Iridium Communications.

  • October 07, 2026

    FCC Proposes $10M In Fines For Alleged Lifeline Fraud

    The Federal Communications Commission has proposed more than $10 million in fines against two providers for allegedly defrauding the agency's Lifeline program, which provides discounts on phone and internet services to qualifying low-income Americans.

  • October 07, 2026

    Trump Admin Calls AI Giants' Exemption Bid 'Moat-Digging'

    Artificial intelligence companies have approached both Congress and federal regulators about granting them a broad exemption from antitrust liability that would let them pursue a coordinated slowdown of development.

  • October 07, 2026

    HUD Probes Wells Fargo's 'Racial Equity' Mortgage Initiatives

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said Wednesday that it is investigating whether Wells Fargo violated federal antidiscrimination laws by offering mortgage programs aimed at increasing Black homeownership rates.

  • October 07, 2026

    Commerce Finalizes Indian, Turkish Chromium Duty Rates

    The U.S. Department of Commerce finalized duty rates for a compound used primarily in wood preservation, metal finishing and plating imported from India and Turkey, according to notices published Wednesday. 

  • October 06, 2026

    Nike Loses Bid To End Suit Over Misleading Email Promos

    Nike Inc. must face a proposed class action claiming it spammed customers' inboxes with emails containing misleading subject lines about discount deals that have no expiration dates, as a Washington state judge on Monday rejected Nike's argument that the plaintiff fails to adequately allege the emails were false.

  • October 06, 2026

    CFTC Eases Conversion Of Certain Contracts To Perpetuals

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission took another step toward widening the field of perpetual contracts by easing the way for platforms to convert certain existing contracts tracking security indices into true perpetual futures.

  • October 06, 2026

    Amazon Shoppers' Tariff Refund Suits Sent To Seattle As MDL

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has centralized a series of proposed class actions accusing Amazon of denying online shoppers tariff refunds, sending lawsuits filed in Florida, Michigan, New York and Ohio to Washington federal court for coordinated proceedings.

  • October 06, 2026

    Flock, Colo. Towns Violated Residents' Privacy, Suit Says

    Flock's mass surveillance system and two Colorado towns invaded individuals' constitutional right to privacy by tracking their movements without consent and failing to employ safeguards for law enforcement using the technology, alleges a proposed class action filed in Colorado federal court.

  • October 06, 2026

    Apple AirTag Stalking Defect Suits Consolidated In California

    The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has sent nearly three dozen lawsuits alleging Apple Inc. defectively designed AirTags that were susceptible to abuse by stalkers to California's Northern District in a ruling that compared the cases to coordinated multidistrict litigation against Uber Technologies Inc. over driver sexual assaults.

  • October 06, 2026

    Costco's $14M Deal Over Misleading Emails Gets Final OK

    Costco Wholesale Corp. will pay $14 million to resolve a class action accusing the retailer of sending advertising emails with false or misleading subject lines in violation of Washington's Commercial Electronic Mail Act, according to a settlement a state judge has given final approval to.

  • October 06, 2026

    4 States Accuse TP-Link Of China Ties, Insecure Routers

    The attorneys general of Florida, Montana, Nebraska and Iowa sued California-based TP-Link Systems Inc. on Tuesday, alleging the Wi-Fi router maker concealed its links to a Chinese company and deceptively promoted its products as secure despite vulnerabilities that left consumers open to malicious attacks.

  • October 06, 2026

    Neurosurgeon Group Says It Fixed Anthem Unit Antitrust Suit

    A Long Island neurosurgery practice told a New York federal judge that it has provided all the details the court found missing when it tossed a previous complaint accusing an Anthem unit of anticompetitively driving down reimbursement rates.

  • October 06, 2026

    Fed To Realign Bank Supervision Into 5 State-Based Regions

    The Federal Reserve's top regulatory official said Tuesday that the central bank is overhauling how it manages its nationwide supervision operations, laying out plans for a reorganization aimed at streamlining the chain of command for its bank examination work.

  • October 06, 2026

    DC Circ. Wary Of Hikvision Appeal Over FCC Device Denials

    Chinese device-maker Hikvision hoped to convince the D.C. Circuit Tuesday that the Federal Communications Commission doesn't have the authority to strip a company's existing authorizations for national security reasons, but the judges did not seem persuaded.

Expert Analysis

  • Mitigating The Risk Of Antiestablishment Jurors

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    The legal battles currently embroiling social media companies underscore that jurors with anti-corporate bias and conspiratorial thinking patterns pose myriad risks to corporate defendants, and defense counsel should adapt their trial strategies accordingly, say consultants at Persuasion Strategies.

  • CFPB Complaint Portal Overhaul Signals Changing Priorities

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's updates to its consumer complaint portal and decision to cease publishing consumer complaint narratives should be viewed by companies as one component of a larger recalibration of how the CFPB collects information and allocates its supervisory and enforcement resources, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Being In A Band Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing shows in storied New York City venues and rehearsing with my bandmates in poorly ventilated rooms helped develop the professional qualities I rely on as a litigator, including an ability to collaborate with strong-minded equals and the determination to treat each client with singular focus, says Eliad Shapiro at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    After 2026's second quarter, there is more authority rejecting class certification on total loss valuation theories from courts at the federal circuit, federal district and state appellate level — along with a resolution of a novel issue of depreciation on a wildfire claim, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • 10th Circ. Ruling Undermines False Ad 'Two Clicks' Rule

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    The Tenth Circuit’s recent ruling in KetoNatural Pet Foods v. Hill's Pet Nutrition substantially challenges a long-standing assumption that a company can avoid responsibility for promotional claims simply because the consumer encountered them by clicking a hyperlink to a third-party website, say attorneys at Venable.

  • 6 Key Takeaways From CFIUS Annual Report

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    Attorneys at Simpson Thacher review highlights from the annual report of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., released to Congress this month, including the launch of the American First Investment Policy and the Known Investor Pilot Program, and the agency's continued focus on enforcement despite its resource constraints.

  • Mich. Ruling Gives Consumer Protection Law Its Teeth Back

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    The Michigan Supreme Court's recent decision in Attorney General v. Eli Lilly, overruling key holdings in two earlier cases, means that Michigan businesses can no longer defeat allegations of deceptive conduct under the state's consumer protection law simply by pointing to any governmental regulation of the business, say attorneys at DiCello Levitt.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Surviving A Long Trial

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    Most of law school trial advocacy is geared toward the sprint of trying a short case, but beyond managing a cross-examination or closing argument, effectively handling the marathon of a lengthy trial requires the ability to maintain composure, organization and credibility with the jury, says Mihir Elchuri at Hirschler.

  • AI Chatbot's Medical Claims Highlight Enforcement Risks

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    The Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine's recent lawsuit against Character Technologies, arguing that an artificial intelligence chatbot engaged in the unlicensed practice of medicine, may provide other state licensing boards with a road map for going after AI platforms, and counsel should advise clients to calibrate compliance accordingly, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • What Calif.'s New Focus On Microplastics Means For Cos.

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    The recent move by California's Department of Toxic Substances Control to designate microplastics as candidate chemicals under its Safer Consumer Product regulations does not create a new product restriction — but it expands the agency's future reach by putting microplastics on the department’s regulatory runway, says Gregory Berlin at Alston & Bird.

  • 7th Circ. Ruling May Reduce Litigation Risk For Text Marketers

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    The recent Seventh Circuit holding in Steidinger v. Blackstone Medical Services that unwanted marketing text messages are not telephone calls under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act may strengthen companies' responses to presuit demand letters and early-stage litigation claims premised on do-not-call text theories, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Recent OCC Charter Approvals Signal Fintech Momentum

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    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recent charter approval for Circle, along with faster Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. review procedures, signals a more workable path to national bank and trust charters, meaning fintech firms should prepare regulator-ready applications and plan for intensified competition, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Reel Justice: 'Disclosure Day' Teaches Attys To Listen

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    The underlying message in “Disclosure Day” suggests that communication often breaks down because of a failure to hear and understand, highlighting why a lawyer's ability to listen is not ancillary to their practice — it is what makes effective representation and justice possible, says Veronica Finkelstein at Widener-Delaware Law.

  • Mapping A Compliance Framework For AI Chatbot Operators

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent artificial intelligence guidance, together with emerging state AI chatbot laws, wiretapping statutes and telecommunications requirements, carry significant implications for consumer-facing chatbot and customer service tool operators that require a layered disclosure framework addressing multiple regulatory touchpoints, say attorneys at Winston Taylor.

  • Fashion Greenwashing Risk Goes From Reputational To Legal

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    Fashion brands now face greenwashing risks that extend beyond reputational damage, with California's extended producer responsibility law taking effect soon, and regulatory enforcement and class actions increasing around terms like "sustainable" and "carbon-neutral" — so companies must ensure their marketing is backed up by evidence, says Benjamin Thompson at Thompson LLP.

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