Consumer Protection

  • May 06, 2025

    Ga. Court Axes Web Tracking Class Action Against Hospital

    A Georgia hospital has defeated a putative class action alleging that it allowed Meta Platforms Inc.'s Pixel software to pilfer the data of thousands of patients who accessed its websites, as a state court judge ruled the suit relied on "conclusory" theories and alleged only the prospect that patients' information could be compromised.

  • May 06, 2025

    4th Circ. Affirms Win For Ariz. Law Firm In 'Sham' TCPA Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower court's decision to vacate a $2 million jury award against a Phoenix-based law firm, saying the dozens of Telephone Consumer Protection Act cases the firm brought against a student loan servicer shouldn't be considered "sham litigation" as the jury initially held.

  • May 06, 2025

    Honda Can't Toss Suit Over Defective Infotainment System

    An Illinois federal judge won't fully dismiss a proposed class action from a woman alleging that her 2020 Honda Pilot was sold with a defective infotainment system, finding that she has standing to pursue monetary damages, but not an injunction because she no longer has the vehicle.

  • May 06, 2025

    FTC Commissioner Throws Cold Water On Antitrust Defenses

    Newly minted Federal Trade Commissioner Mark R. Meador criticized several arguments frequently raised in antitrust cases during a speech Monday, including that company breakups are too extreme and that innovation can justify anticompetitive conduct.

  • May 06, 2025

    Diageo Overstates Agave Content In Tequilas, Suit Says

    Global liquor giant Diageo North America falsely advertises its Casamigos and Don Julio beverages as containing 100% tequila agave, despite that the distilled spirits are adulterated with significant amounts of cane or other types of alcohol, according to a proposed class action filed Monday in New York federal court. 

  • May 06, 2025

    Morgan Stanley Says SEC Has Closed Cash Sweep Probe

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has ended an investigation into Morgan Stanley's cash sweep program without recommending an enforcement action, the bank told investors.

  • May 06, 2025

    CFPB Abandons Enforcement Of Buy Now, Pay Later Rule

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Tuesday that it will not prioritize enforcement actions taken on buy now, pay later products, adding to the list of positions the agency is reviewing or rolling back under the organization's new leadership.

  • May 06, 2025

    Ill. Judge Trims False Ad Suit Over Smartfood Popcorn

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday partially granted a bid by PepsiCo to dismiss a putative class action alleging popcorn made by subsidiary Smartfoods Inc. was deceptively marketed as containing no artificial flavors or preservatives, when it contains maltodextrin, while saying the plaintiffs had done enough at this stage to allege the ingredient is an artificial preservative.

  • May 06, 2025

    Treasury Bans Burmese Militia Group From US Business Deals

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned Burmese militia group the Karen National Army, its leader Saw Chit Thu and his sons Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit, banning them from doing business with any American entity or individuals.

  • May 06, 2025

    Google Calls Proposed Ad Tech Breakup 'Unworkable'

    Google has told a Virginia federal court that fixes being proposed by enforcers in the ad tech monopolization case calling for the sale of its ad exchange and publisher-side tool are legally inappropriate and practically "unworkable."

  • May 06, 2025

    Unilever Reaches $3.6M Settlement In Benzene In Shampoo Suit

    A proposed class of dry shampoo buyers has asked a Connecticut federal court to give the go-ahead to a $3.6 million settlement to end claims that Unilever United States Inc.'s dry shampoos contain the carcinogen benzene.

  • May 06, 2025

    State Officials Say CFPB Is Holding Up $4.2M Redress Checks

    Officials from a dozen states have accused the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of ghosting them on a $4.2 million redress plan for former students of a shuttered sales-training firm, saying the agency has not cut any checks and is not answering them.

  • May 06, 2025

    Senate Tees Up Vote Against FCC Wi-Fi Funding Plan

    The Senate on Tuesday advanced a GOP bill to nullify the Federal Communications Commission's program to fund Wi-Fi hot spots for students off-campus through the E-Rate school and library subsidy.

  • May 06, 2025

    Meta Wins $168M Verdict Against NSO Over WhatsApp Hack

    A California federal jury found Tuesday that Israeli spyware-maker NSO Group owes Meta Platforms Inc. $444,719 in compensatory damages and a staggering $167.25 million in punitive damages for hacking 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices.

  • May 02, 2025

    Republicans Tout Bill To Make App Stores Verify Users' Ages

    Two Republican lawmakers introduced a bill Thursday to protect minor app users by requiring app stores and developers to vet their ages through a verification process and seek parental consent before allowing them to download apps or make any purchases. 

  • May 06, 2025

    Co. Not Liable For Injuries In Employee Attack, 11th Circ. Says

    The Eleventh Circuit ruled Monday that wholesale restaurant supply store McLane Foodservice is not liable for injuries suffered by an employee who was set on fire at work by a former partner because the company could not have foreseen this kind of violent, premeditated act.

  • May 06, 2025

    SafeMoon CEO Tells Jury Founder To Blame For Investor Fib

    Counsel for a U.S. Army veteran in Utah who served as CEO of SafeMoon told a Brooklyn, New York, federal jury Tuesday that he did not conspire to loot the crypto company's assets, implying its fugitive founder is to blame for a key misrepresentation.

  • May 06, 2025

    Car Seat Maker Sued Over Faulty Recall, Replacement Parts

    Kids' product maker Dorel Juvenile Group Inc. recalled car seats with a headrest cover that posed a choking hazard to young children, then sent customers new parts that do not solve the problem, according to a proposed class action.

  • May 06, 2025

    Senate Panel Advances Bowman For Fed Supervision Chief

    The U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday endorsed President Donald Trump's selection of Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman to be the top bank regulatory official at the central bank, advancing her as part of his latest slate of financial nominees.

  • May 06, 2025

    Calif. Agency Hits Retailer In Latest Privacy Enforcement Strike

    The California Privacy Protection Agency revealed its second action under a state data privacy law on Tuesday, requiring national clothing retailer Todd Snyder Inc. to pay more than $345,000 and overhaul its business practices to resolve claims that the company mishandled requests by consumers to stop the sale and sharing of their personal information.

  • May 05, 2025

    Class Cert. Partially Granted In Auto Insurance Discount Case

    A California federal court partially granted class certification Monday over policyholders' claims that a group of insurers violated the state's rule on good driver discounts.

  • May 05, 2025

    OpenAI Abandons For-Profit Plan After Musk Suit Is Preserved

    OpenAI announced Monday that it was no longer pursuing plans to transition the ChatGPT maker into a for-profit enterprise, changing course just days after a California federal judge refused to throw out the bulk of Elon Musk's suit challenging those plans.

  • May 05, 2025

    Iowa E-Cigarette Law Paused Over Federal Preemption

    An Iowa federal judge has blocked enforcement of a new state law banning the sale of certain e-cigarettes while a legal challenge to the policy plays out, with the court finding the law at issue in the suit is likely preempted by federal law.

  • May 05, 2025

    'Punish' NSO For WhatsApp Hack, Meta Tells Jury In Closings

    Meta's counsel urged a California federal jury during trial closings Monday to "punish" Israeli spyware-maker NSO Group by awarding "significant" punitive damages, plus $445,000 in compensatory damages, for "vile" conduct hacking 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices, while NSO's counsel argued Meta never lost money and its demands are a PR stunt.

  • May 05, 2025

    Debt Agency Agrees To $2.6M Deal To End Data Breach Claims

    Debt collection agency and buyer NCB Management Services Inc. has agreed to pay $2.625 million to resolve consolidated proposed class action claims it failed to protect more than a million consumers whose personal information was compromised when it was hit with a companywide ransomware attack.

Expert Analysis

  • A Compliance Update For Credit Card Reward Partnerships

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    While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's interest in credit card rewards programs could fade under the new administration, a recent circular focusing on both issuers and their merchant partners means that co-brand credit card partnerships with banks could be subject to increased scrutiny ahead, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Perspectives

    Accountant-Owned Law Firms Could Blur Ethical Lines

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    KPMG’s recent application to open a legal practice in Arizona represents the first overture by an accounting firm to take advantage of the state’s relaxed law firm ownership rules, but enforcing and supervising the practice of law by nonattorneys could prove particularly challenging, says Seth Laver at Goldberg Segalla.

  • How FTC Consumer Protection May Fare Under Reg Freeze

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    Attorneys at Crowell & Moring consider how President Donald Trump's executive order directing agencies to freeze all pending rulemaking activity may frustrate any Federal Trade Commission efforts to change or eliminate rules that made it across the finish line before the inauguration.

  • Critical Steps For Navigating Intensified OFAC Enforcement

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    The largely overlooked SkyGeek settlement from the end of 2024 heralds the arrival of the Office of Foreign Assets Control's long anticipated enhanced enforcement posture and clearly demonstrates the sanctions-compliance benefits of immediately responding to blocked payments, says Jeremy Paner at Hughes Hubbard.

  • Expect Scrutiny Of Banks To Persist, Even Under Trump

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    Although the change in administrations brings some measure of uncertainty as to the nature of bank compliance oversight, if regulators in Washington, D.C., attempt to dilute the vigilance of federal superintendence, the states are waiting in the wings to fill the void, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • AI Will Soon Transform The E-Discovery Industrial Complex

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    Todd Itami at Covington discusses how generative artificial intelligence will reshape the current e-discovery paradigm, replacing the blunt instrument of data handling with a laser scalpel of fully integrated enterprise solutions — after first making e-discovery processes technically and legally harder.

  • When Innovation Overwhelms The Rule Of Law

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    In an era where technology is rapidly evolving and artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere, it’s worth asking if the law — both substantive precedent and procedural rules — can keep up with the light speed of innovation, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Likely Doomed CFPB Contract Rule Still Has Industry Pointers

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    While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's January proposal on consumer financial contract provisions is unlikely to be finalized under the new administration, its provisions are important for industry to recognize, particularly if state attorneys general decide to take up the enforcement mantle, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • The Risk And Reward Of Federal Approach To AI Regulation

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    The government has struggled to keep up with artificial intelligence's furious pace, but while an overbroad federal attempt to adopt a more unified approach to regulating AI poses its own risks, so does the current environment of regulatory uncertainty, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Anticipating Direction Of Cosmetics Regulation Under Trump

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    It is unclear how cosmetics regulation reform from the last few years will fare under President Donald Trump, but the new administration's emphasis on deregulation and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s views on product safety provide some insight, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Drug Pricing Policy Trends To Expect In 2025 And Beyond

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    Though 2025 may bring more of the same in the realm of drug pricing policy, business as usual entails a sustained, high level of legal and policy developments across at least six major areas, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • The Tides Are Changing For Fair Access Banking Laws

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    The landscape of fair access banking laws, which seek to prevent banks from denying services based on individuals' ideological beliefs, has shifted in the last few years, but a new presidential administration provides renewed momentum for advancing such legislation against the backdrop of state efforts, say attorneys at Latham.

  • Imagine The Possibilities Of Openly Autistic Lawyering

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    Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law, who was diagnosed with autism about midway through her career, discusses how the legal profession can create inclusive workplaces that empower openly autistic lawyers and enhance innovation, and how neurodivergent attorneys can navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with disclosing one’s diagnosis.

  • Opinion

    How Congress Can Stem Consumer Finance Law Uncertainty

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    In the face of rising uncertainty about consumer finance laws that are based largely on fluctuating administrative rules, Congress should cement certain existing laws into statute and clarify federal agencies' delegations of authority, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • Why Trump's FTC May Not U-Turn On Robinson-Patman

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent revival of Robinson-Patman Act enforcement may well be here to stay under the Trump administration — albeit with some important caveats for businesses caught in the government's crosshairs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

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