Consumer Protection

  • May 27, 2025

    Nikola Creditors Ask To Examine Founder Over $100M Award

    The creditors committee in Nikola Corp.'s Chapter 11 case has asked a Delaware bankruptcy court for permission to conduct discovery on the company's founder to investigate whether he is dissipating personal assets that should be used to satisfy a $100 million arbitration award owed to the debtor.

  • May 27, 2025

    DOJ Pushes Back Against Agri Stats Recusal Bid

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a Minnesota federal judge Friday there is no reason to recuse himself from a case accusing Agri Stats of helping meat processors exchange sensitive information because the clerk who allegedly created a conflict is not working on the case.

  • May 27, 2025

    Rental Co. Signs Deal With Pa. AG Over AI-Related Delays

    The Pennsylvania arm of a Las Vegas-based rental management company will pay the state $45,000 — including $30,000 in refunds for tenants — to settle allegations that its artificial intelligence platform contributed to delays in repairs and rentals of unsafe housing, the Pennsylvania attorney general's office announced Tuesday.

  • May 27, 2025

    Ex-Solar CEO Can't Arbitrate Fraud Suit Now, Judge Says

    The former CEO of a defunct solar company and its financial backers waived their rights to force Michigan residents into arbitration by extensively litigating a proposed class action that accused them of deceptive sales practices and racketeering, a federal judge ruled.

  • May 27, 2025

    Dollar Bank Yanks Funeral Home Loan Over Pet Accusations

    A Pittsburgh-area funeral director's alleged failure to disclose that he was facing criminal charges and civil suits over accusations that he mishandled the remains of customers' pets led Dollar Bank to declare that he and his companies now owe nearly $332,000 on a 2023 loan, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.

  • May 27, 2025

    Ghee Butter Buyer Denied Class Cert. In 'Good Fat' Label Suit

    A California federal judge has denied a bid for class certification in a suit alleging the sellers of ghee, a clarified butter, falsely claimed that it contained "good fat," saying the lead plaintiff failed to show that anyone besides her was misled by the labeling.

  • May 27, 2025

    High Court Passes On Axed $563M BMO Harris Ponzi Verdict

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to review the Eighth Circuit's decision to strike down a $563 million jury verdict against BMO Harris NA over claims that a bank it acquired had aided and abetted Thomas J. Petters' multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

  • May 23, 2025

    Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

    This past year, a handful of attorneys secured billions of dollars in settlements and judgments for both classes and individual plaintiffs against massive companies and organizations like Facebook, Dell, the National Association of Realtors, Johnson & Johnson, UFC and Credit Suisse, earning them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2025.

  • May 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Mulls 'Two John Smiths' In Classmates.com Class

    Ninth Circuit judges Friday scrutinized a vast class of Californians whose identities were allegedly misappropriated by yearbooks platform Classmates.com, discussing ways to distinguish people with the same names and the case's implications for internet search giants — as well as how one judge's class of '62 yearbook might be a small part of the litigation.

  • May 23, 2025

    CFPB Calls Open Banking Rule 'Unlawful' In Pivot Against It

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau signaled Friday that it will now seek to vacate its Biden-era open banking rule, siding with the banking industry in an ongoing legal challenge to the rule even as a major fintech industry group is pledging to keep defending it.

  • May 23, 2025

    Sonos Pushed New App Despite Knowing Problems, Suit Says

    Sonos device owners from several states have lodged a putative class action against the audio system company, telling a California federal court that Sonos forced an app redesign on owners that caused connectivity problems and removed features users had relied on.

  • May 23, 2025

    5th Circ. Sides With Texas Library In Book Ban Redo

    The Fifth Circuit gave a green light for a Texas public library to toss several books that deal with topics such as sexuality and racism, labeling the arguments challenging the library's decision to remove the challenged literature as "over-caffeinated" in a Friday en banc opinion.

  • May 23, 2025

    Meta, App Maker Flo Can't Escape All Of Privacy Class Action

    A California federal judge ruled Thursday that Flo Health Inc. and Meta cannot escape all the claims in a class action brought by users of a menstrual cycle app who allege their privacy was violated, denying parts of both companies' summary judgment bids. 

  • May 23, 2025

    LegitScript Can't Use 'Unclean Hands' To Ax Antitrust Case

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday said that pharmacy verification and monitoring service provider LegitScript could not toss an antitrust action brought by PharmacyChecker.com based on assertions that the plaintiff facilitated the illegal importation of foreign drugs, saying that the defense of unclean hands doesn't bar the lawsuit.

  • May 23, 2025

    Judge Extends Block On Trump's Government Layoffs

    A California federal judge has extended her block of President Donald Trump's executive order directing layoffs at federal agencies, saying a coalition of unions, nonprofits and cities has shown it is likely to succeed in showing the order exceeded the president's authority.

  • May 23, 2025

    Coinbase Investor Sues Over Hack Fallout, UK Fine

    A Coinbase stockholder brought a proposed class action against the crypto exchange, claiming she and other investors felt the fallout after the firm suffered a headline-grabbing data breach and an earlier run-in with a U.K. regulator.

  • May 23, 2025

    DOJ, Boeing Reach Deal To Drop 737 Max Criminal Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice said Friday that it won't criminally prosecute Boeing over the deadly 737 Max crashes after reaching a deal that saves the American aerospace giant from being branded a corporate felon in exchange for approximately $1.1 billion in fines, penalties and victims compensation.

  • May 23, 2025

    Amazon.com Sued Over Toxic Metals Found In Rice Products

    Consumers hit Amazon.com with a proposed class action in Washington federal court Friday, seeking to hold the retail giant liable for selling rice products that allegedly contain "alarmingly high" levels of toxic heavy metals.

  • May 23, 2025

    Texas Justices Answer 5th Circ. Query On State Usury Laws

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday concurred with a credit card industry firm that sued a lender over its "usurious" interest charges, telling the Fifth Circuit that state law holds that the maximum permissible interest on a loan is based on the declining principal balance, not the initial total principal amount.

  • May 23, 2025

    Ex-McKinsey Exec Sentenced For Obstructing Purdue Probe

    A Virginia federal judge has sentenced a disbarred attorney and former McKinsey & Co. partner to six months in prison for obstructing an investigation into the consulting giant's work with opioid manufacturer Purdue, federal prosecutors announced Friday.

  • May 23, 2025

    Senate Dems Bash Spectrum 'Giveaway' In Budget Bill

    Key Senate Democrats who oversee telecommunications issues have lambasted House Republicans for "handing over" swaths of radio spectrum to the wireless industry in the sweeping budget reconciliation bill that GOP lawmakers passed Thursday.

  • May 23, 2025

    Home Makeover Host Sues Citibank For Debit Declines

    The host of a home makeover show who calls himself "America's top lifestyle expert" has sued Citibank N.A. in Connecticut state court, alleging that he suffered embarrassment and loss of business opportunities when his debit card transactions were declined numerous times despite sufficient funds.

  • May 23, 2025

    Musk Doubles Down After OpenAI Drops For-Profit Transition

    OpenAI's decision to abandon its transition into a for-profit enterprise was not enough to appease Elon Musk, who doubled down Thursday with an amended California federal court complaint continuing to allege the ChatGPT maker tricked him into contributing nearly $45 million with false promises of remaining a nonprofit.

  • May 23, 2025

    FTC Finally Drops Challenge To Microsoft-Activision Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission has dropped its in-house case seeking to block Microsoft's $68.7 billion purchase of video game developer Activision Blizzard, after its Ninth Circuit loss earlier this month, ending a lingering challenge to a deal that closed in late 2023.

  • May 22, 2025

    Hawaii Shop Alleges CBD Wares Were Actually THC

    A CBD retailer sued a supplier in Hawaii federal court Tuesday for allegedly selling it goods that were represented as CBD products when they actually had an unlawful amount THC in them, which caused some of the products to be seized by law enforcement and one of its customers to fall seriously ill.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Crunching The Numbers Of Trump SEC's 1st 100 Days

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    During the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought significantly fewer stand-alone enforcement actions than at the beginning of the Biden and the first Trump administrations, with every one of the federal court complaints including allegations of fraudulent conduct, say attorneys at Dentons.

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