Consumer Protection

  • July 16, 2025

    AvalonBay Looks To Exit DC's RealPage Case Again

    Real estate investment trust AvalonBay has asked to end the claims against it in the D.C. attorney general's case accusing RealPage of helping more than a dozen building owners inflate rental prices by using its software, after enforcers renewed their claims against the landlord earlier this year.

  • July 16, 2025

    FCC Looks To Streamline Regs For Enviro Reviews

    The Federal Communications Commission expects to move a plan forward in August that would overhaul its rules for scrutinizing telecom and broadband projects under the National Environmental Policy Act.

  • July 16, 2025

    9th Circ. Tosses Atty-Farmer's Suit Over USDA Organic Label

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a U.S. Department of Agriculture rule allowing farm collectives in the U.S. and other countries to be certified as "organic" under one certificate and not inspected annually, tossing an attorney-turned-Oregon hazelnut farmer's suit alleging Turkish growers were defrauding the system.

  • July 16, 2025

    NBA Bolsters Case For Justices To Review VPPA Scope

    The NBA is amplifying its push for the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Second Circuit decision that revived a Video Privacy Protection Act suit against the league for sharing user data, saying appellate courts have splintered on the issue since it filed its March petition.

  • July 16, 2025

    Charter, Cox Ask FCC To Approve $34.5B Combination

    Charter Communications and Cox Communications asked federal telecom regulators this week to approve their $34.5 billion megadeal to combine into a broadband, video and mobile services behemoth.

  • July 16, 2025

    Juul Fights Bid To Revive Price Discrimination Suit

    Juul Labs urged an Illinois federal court not to revive a gas station distributor's case accusing the e-cigarette company of giving a rival wholesaler a better deal, saying the court was right to toss the latest complaint because it failed to say where the wholesalers compete.

  • July 16, 2025

    Refused NFL Goods Sale Not Antitrust Harm, Judge Says

    An online merchant blocked from selling licensed NFL merchandise on Amazon.com and Walmart.com by league policies restricting online sales to approved retailers has two weeks to fix its proposed class action claims after a New York federal judge said that the contested restrictions do not trigger U.S. antitrust law.

  • July 16, 2025

    DOJ Tells FCC Terminals Critical To Undersea Cable Security

    The U.S. Department of Justice is calling for new Federal Communications Commission rules to better protect undersea cable systems from foreign adversaries, saying cable licensees should have to report information about nonlicensee entities that operate equipment on submarine cables landing in the U.S.

  • July 16, 2025

    Dems Ask FCC To Drop CBS Probe, Cite Fox 'Double Standard'

    U.S. Senate Democrats are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to drop its probe into alleged news distortion at CBS, claiming there's a "double standard" based on a Fox News interview with President Donald Trump last year about the Jeffrey Epstein case.

  • July 16, 2025

    Texas Launches Investigation Into Mars Inc.'s Use Of Dyes

    Texas announced Wednesday an investigation into Mars Inc. over its use of artificial dyes in its food products, adding to the state's string of recent investigations into companies for allegedly deceptive marketing relating to their use of dyes in food.

  • July 16, 2025

    NC Rec Center Immune In Overheating Wrongful Death Suit

    A North Carolina state appeals panel on Wednesday cleared a Scotland County recreational center in a suit alleging that its negligence led to the death from overheating of a basketball player, finding that the center is entitled to governmental immunity.

  • July 16, 2025

    Calif. Senate Won't Tackle Consumer Internet Cap

    State legislation to limit how much companies can charge consumers for internet service in California has been pulled from consideration in the state's Senate, for now, the bill's sponsor told Law360 Wednesday.

  • July 16, 2025

    Utah Judge Ends Startup's Antitrust Suit Against NAR, Brokerages

    A Utah federal judge permanently tossed an antitrust suit lodged by a residential brokerage startup against the National Association of Realtors and multiple brokerages, ruling that the claims were time-barred.

  • July 16, 2025

    Kratom Seltzers 'Addictive,' Wash. Class Suit Alleges

    A proposed class of kratom product buyers is suing Mitra-9 Brands LLC in Washington federal court, alleging that the company knew — but failed to warn customers — that the products are addictive in the same way as opioids and can cause withdrawal symptoms.

  • July 15, 2025

    HomeServices, Douglas Elliman Nix Broker Fee Antitrust Suit

    HomeServices of America and Douglas Elliman escaped homebuyers' proposed antitrust class action alleging real estate agents conspired to artificially inflate broke service commissions for home sales, after a Florida federal judge ruled the buyers lacked standing since home sellers are the ones who paid those commission fees. 

  • July 15, 2025

    GTCR Seeks Rival's Sales Data To Counter FTC Challenge

    The private equity firm looking to buy medical device coating company Surmodics is seeking Salesforce data from another competitor in the space, saying the information is crucial to showing that the industry will still be competitive if its acquisition is cleared.

  • July 15, 2025

    Tornado Founder Wasn't In On Crypto Laundering, Jury Told

    Counsel for a Seattle-area software developer and co-founder of Tornado Cash told a New York federal jury on Tuesday that he had nothing to do with North Korean cybercriminals and others who used the cryptocurrency mixer to launder more than $1 billion in ill-gotten gains.

  • July 15, 2025

    FTC Says Merger Penalty Deal In The Works With 7-Eleven

    The Federal Trade Commission is inching closer to a settlement with 7-Eleven in its suit seeking to slap the convenience store chain with a $77.5 million penalty for violating a settlement that it inked with the agency in order to get a merger approved back in 2018.

  • July 15, 2025

    Consumers Say Apple's Bid To End App Store Case Will Fail

    A massive class of consumers accusing Apple of monopolizing the distribution of apps on its devices has told a California federal court the tech giant's planned summary judgment bid should be rejected because there's evidence showing harm to both users and developers.

  • July 15, 2025

    House Passes Bill To Codify FCC Network Security Council

    The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would cement into law a federal advisory panel on network security.

  • July 15, 2025

    Split 4th Circ. Rejects GenBioPro Abortion Ban Challenge

    A split Fourth Circuit panel on Tuesday rejected GenBioPro's challenge to a West Virginia law banning medication abortion with narrow exceptions, with the majority finding the ban does not conflict with federal regulators' statutory authority to impose safety requirements on drug manufacturers.

  • July 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Nature's Way Loss In Supplements TM Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower court's finding that a Doctor's Best Inc. brand of supplements didn't infringe a trademark of competitor Nature's Way Products LLC because the Doctor's Best products were all sold outside the U.S.

  • July 15, 2025

    FCC Hunts For Customer Info On Cellcom Network Outage

    Regional wireless service provider Cellcom's mid-May network outage has prompted a public inquiry by federal regulators who want to know how customers handled their inability to make or receive texts and calls.

  • July 15, 2025

    FTC Still Bans Ex-Pioneer CEO From Exxon Board, For Now

    If the current Federal Trade Commission upends Biden-era Democrats' ban on the former CEO of Pioneer from serving on Exxon's board, it will be on the now-Republican-led commission's own volition rather than through a petition by the executive.

  • July 15, 2025

    Tesla Engineer Says Company Kept Scant Safety Data

    Tesla did not document safety statistics of its autopilot system in the early years of its implementation, according to testimony from a Tesla engineer that jurors in Miami heard Tuesday in a trial over a fatal Florida Keys crash.

Expert Analysis

  • Dupes Boom Spurs IP Risks, Opportunities For Investors

    Author Photo

    The rising popularity of dupe products has created a dynamic marketplace where both dupes-based businesses and established branded companies can thrive, but investors must consider a host of legal implications, especially when the dupes straddle a fine line between imitation and intellectual property infringement, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Canadian Suit Offers Disclosure Lesson For US Cannabis Cos.

    Author Photo

    A Canadian class action asserting that Aurora Cannabis failed to warn consumers about the risk of developing cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome may spawn copycat filings in the U.S., and is a cautionary tale for cannabis and hemp industries to prioritize risk disclosure, says Ian Stewart at Wilson Elser.

  • A Look At Trump Admin's Shifting Strategies To Curtail CFPB

    Author Photo

    The Trump administration has so far carried out its goal of minimizing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's authority and footprint via an individualized approach comprising rule rollbacks, litigation moves and administrative tools, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Evading DOJ Crosshairs As Data Security Open Season Starts

    Author Photo

    As the U.S. Department of Justice begins enforcing its new data security program — aimed at preventing foreign adversaries from accessing government-related and personal sensitive data — U.S. companies will need to understand the program’s contours and potential pitfalls to avoid potential civil liability or criminal scrutiny, say attorneys at Cohen & Gresser.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • A Look At DOJ's Dropped Case Against Early Crypto Operator

    Author Photo

    The prosecution of an early crypto exchange operator over alleged unlicensed money transmission was recently dropped in Indiana federal court, showcasing that the U.S. Justice Department may be limiting the types of enforcement cases it will bring against digital asset firms, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • 4 Consumer Class Action Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

    Author Photo

    The first half of 2025 has seen a surge of consumer class action trends related to online tools, websites and marketing messages, creating a new legal risk landscape for companies of all sizes, says Scott Shaffer at Olshan Frome.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

    Author Photo

    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • 3 Cautionary Tales For Cos. Using Facial Recognition Tech

    Author Photo

    Whether a business intends to develop its own facial recognition applications or contract with another company to use such services, three recent case studies should be kept in mind to help lower the risk of litigation or regulatory enforcement, says Adam Nyenhuis at Hilgers Graben.

  • Rising Enforcement Stakes For Pharma Telehealth Platforms

    Author Photo

    Two pieces of legislation recently introduced in Congress could transform the structure and promotion of telehealth arrangements as legislators increasingly scrutinize direct-to-consumer advertising platforms, potentially paving the way for a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy with bipartisan support, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

    Author Photo

    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

    Author Photo

    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Rocket Mortgage Appeal May Push Justices To Curb Classes

    Author Photo

    Should the U.S. Supreme Court agree to hear Alig v. Rocket Mortgage, the resulting decision could limit class sizes based on commonality under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Evidence as opposed to standing under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, say attorneys at Carr Maloney.

  • 3 Judicial Approaches To Applying Loper Bright, 1 Year Later

    Author Photo

    In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference in its Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision, a few patterns have emerged in lower courts’ application of the precedent to determine whether agency actions are lawful, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • How State AG Consumer Finance Enforcement Is Expanding

    Author Photo

    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau becomes less active, state attorneys general are increasingly shaping the enforcement landscape for consumer financial services — and several areas of focus have recently emerged, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Consumer Protection archive.