Consumer Protection

  • May 24, 2024

    Live Nation Ticket Buyers Follow Feds With Antitrust Suit

    Live Nation and Ticketmaster were hit with a consumer antitrust proposed class action Thursday accusing them of monopolizing concert promotion and ticketing for major concert venues following their 2010 merger, which comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Justice's own lawsuit.

  • May 24, 2024

    Sony Denied Early Bid To Block PlayStation Antitrust Class

    A California federal judge Friday denied Sony's preemptive bid to deny class certification in a suit accusing it of overcharging PlayStation Store users through a monopoly on downloadable game cards, saying Sony has yet to show that the plaintiffs are bound by class action waivers, or it can enforce arbitration.

  • May 24, 2024

    Senate Republican Eyes Tutor.com's China Ties, Data Use

    The top Republican on the U.S. Senate's health and education committee has launched an investigation into Tutor.com, a Chinese-controlled web service of The Princeton Review that offers students online tutoring, saying China's Communist Party may be exploiting users' sensitive data.

  • May 24, 2024

    Uvalde Families Say Call Of Duty, Meta Groomed Shooter

    Families of schoolchildren shot at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022 alleged in a pair of lawsuits Friday that Meta Platforms' Instagram, the maker of first-person shooter video game Call of Duty, and a manufacturer of assault rifles helped inspire, train and equip the teenage gunman.

  • May 24, 2024

    Top Senate Banking Dem Presses DoorDash On Biz Advances

    Food ordering and delivery platform DoorDash has come under fire from the chair of the U.S. Senate's banking committee over merchant cash advance products offered on its platform, with the lawmaker saying the typically high costs of such offerings bear "a troubling similarity to payday lending practices."

  • May 24, 2024

    BofA Inks $21M Deal With Over 1M Customers Over Wire Fees

    Bank of America customers on Friday urged a North Carolina federal judge to preliminarily approve their $21 million settlement to resolve claims the financial institution tacked $15 "junk fees" onto incoming wire transfers, saying the deal constitutes significant relief for over a million class members.

  • May 24, 2024

    Malware Backdoor Found In Software Used By Courtrooms

    Software created by a company that provides digital audiovisual technology to courtrooms, jails and other facilities contains a backdoor associated with malware that disguises itself as a normal update, analysts at a cybersecurity firm reported, warning that "users are at high risk and should take immediate action."

  • May 24, 2024

    Petition Watch: Forum Shopping, Monopolies & Gun Safety

    Law360 looks at four U.S. Supreme Court petitions filed in the past two weeks, including the FDA's request that the justices curb an increase in forum shopping at the Fifth Circuit, and two veterinarians who want the justices to allow plaintiffs to pursue antitrust claims for actions allegedly leading to the creation of a monopoly.

  • May 24, 2024

    PIMCO Says It Needs To Assess CFPB's Loan Service Deal

    Investment management giant PIMCO told a Pennsylvania federal judge on Friday that it needs more time to study a proposed $5 million settlement between the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a Pennsylvania student loan servicer and multiple student loan trusts, saying its funds are invested in the trusts and may need to consent to the deal.

  • May 24, 2024

    SEC Says Crypto Firm's Challenge Is 'Fatally Premature'

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told a Texas federal judge on Friday that a yet-to-launch crypto exchange's bid to bar any future enforcement action is "fatally premature" since the firm hasn't identified a final action to challenge.

  • May 24, 2024

    FCC Republican Knocks Plan To Require AI Ad Disclosures

    A Federal Communications Commission Republican is slamming a commission proposal aimed at limiting the use of artificial intelligence in political advertisements, saying the push is a politically motivated effort to stop Republicans from using AI.

  • May 24, 2024

    Bungie Cheat Code Sellers Hit With $63K Copyright Verdict

    A federal jury said Friday that people behind a video game cheat code owe Bungie about $63,000 for replicating a sci-fi shooter's code to make the cheat software and peddle it on the internet, capping off a nearly weeklong copyright trial in Seattle.

  • May 24, 2024

    E-Rate Growth Needed As Other Funds Wane, FCC Chief Says

    Calling the E-Rate program for subsidizing broadband in schools and libraries a "quiet powerhouse," the head of the Federal Communications Commission is looking to build support in Congress to expand it to cover off-campus learning after pandemic rescue funds dissipated.

  • May 24, 2024

    Biden's Judicial Impact And What's Left On The Wish List

    President Joe Biden secured confirmation of his 200th federal judge Wednesday and has transformed the judiciary by picking more women and people of color than any other president. But the upcoming election season could derail his hopes of confirming many more judges.

  • May 24, 2024

    White Sox Settle ADA Suit Over Season Tickets Policy

    The Chicago White Sox have settled a lawsuit alleging the Major League Baseball team violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to sell season tickets for wheelchair-accessible seats on its website.

  • May 24, 2024

    4th Circ. Urged To Keep Suit Against Credit Co. In Fed. Court

    A Maryland credit card customer pressed the Fourth Circuit to affirm a district court's decision to keep in federal court a proposed class action alleging subprime credit card company Mercury Financial did business without a license, arguing arbitration cannot be fairly enforced, and that Mercury is trying to raise new arguments on appeal.

  • May 24, 2024

    Software-Aided Price Fixing Under Antitrust Assault

    Claims that companies in the same industry are using software middlemen to fix prices are percolating in federal courts around the country, with cases targeting major operators in residential real estate, hospitality and health insurance, among other areas.

  • May 24, 2024

    Feds' Probe Into Waymo Self-Driving Car Finds More Incidents

    The U.S. auto safety regulator has said it found nine additional incidents of Waymo LLC autonomous vehicles exhibiting "unexpected driving behaviors" and has asked the company for more information as part of a new investigation.

  • May 24, 2024

    EPA Denies Ala. Coal Ash Management Program Application

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final decision denying Alabama's application to run a federally approved permit program to manage coal ash landfills and impoundments, saying the state's permit program doesn't meet federal standards for protecting people and waterways.

  • May 24, 2024

    New Minnesota Law Removes Barriers To Public Broadband

    Public broadband advocates on Friday lauded Minnesota's enactment of a state law making it easier to deploy community broadband networks.

  • May 24, 2024

    FCC Probing Unauthorized Navigation Satellite Signals In US

    The Federal Communications Commission is continuing its investigation into U.S. phones receiving unauthorized Russian and Chinese navigation satellite signals, but FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel told lawmakers last week that she didn't have much more to share on the inquiry.

  • May 24, 2024

    Coinbase Says Crypto Securities Question Is Ripe For Review

    Crypto exchange Coinbase again urged a Manhattan federal judge to send to the Second Circuit the question of whether digital assets meet the definition of investment contracts, saying the question could "shape or distort a multitrillion-dollar industry."

  • May 24, 2024

    Alabama Judge Says Attys Subverted Plumbing Defect Deal

    In an effort to safeguard the due process rights of hundreds of homeowners, an Alabama federal judge has tossed out more than 300 settlement class "opt-outs" and partially reopened the objection period in a product liability suit, determining that outside attorneys repeatedly misled clients regarding the pending settlement, leading to the numerous exclusion requests.

  • May 24, 2024

    CFPB Will Ask DC Circ. To Rescue Rule Challenged By PayPal

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Friday it will appeal a Washington, D.C., federal judge's recent decision that sided with payments giant PayPal in its lawsuit challenging the agency's extension of certain prepaid card regulations to digital wallets.

  • May 24, 2024

    CFPB Seeks $20M Penalty For Inaccurate Loan Data

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has urged a Florida federal court to hit Freedom Mortgage with a $20 million civil penalty for allegedly submitting error-filled government mortgage loan data.

Expert Analysis

  • The Effects Of New 10-Year Limitation On Key Sanctions Laws

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    Recently enacted emergency appropriations legislation, doubling the statute of limitations for civil and criminal economic sanctions violations, has significant implications for internal records retention, corporate transaction due diligence and government investigations, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • What 11th Circ. FCRA Ruling Means For Credit Furnishers

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    Credit furnishers should revisit their internal investigation and verification procedures after the Eleventh Circuit declined last month in Holden v. Holiday to impose a bright-line rule that only purely factual or transcription errors are actionable under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, say Diana Eng and Michael Esposito at Blank Rome.

  • Supply Chain Considerations For Companies Deploying AI

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    Many businesses will risk failure by embracing artificial intelligence without fully understanding the risks, and the value of a five-step AI supply chain analysis cannot be overstated, say Brooke Berg and Nathan Staffel at Nardello & Co.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • The State Of Play In DEI And ESG 1 Year After Harvard Ruling

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    Almost a year after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, attorney general scrutiny of environmental, social and governance-related efforts indicates a potential path for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to be targeted, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Compliance Considerations For New Data Protection Law

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    Sam Castic at Hintze Law discusses how to determine if your organization is covered by the newly enacted Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act, the scope of the law's restrictions, and how to go about compliance as its June 23 effective date approaches.

  • FTC Noncompete Rule Risks A Wave Of State AG Actions

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule language banning noncompetes may contribute to a waterfall enforcement effect in which state attorneys general deploy their broad authority to treat noncompetes as separate and independent violations, say Ryan Strasser and Carson Cox at Troutman Pepper.

  • CFPB Poised To Up The Ante After Supreme Court Victory

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    When the U.S. Supreme Court emphatically ruled last week that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding structure did not violate the Constitution, the agency boasted that it was "here to stay," signaling that it is moving full steam ahead with its regulatory, enforcement and supervisory agenda, says Jim Sandy at McGlinchey Stafford.

  • How To Use Exhibits Strategically Throughout Your Case

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    Exhibits, and documents in particular, are the lifeblood of legal advocacy, so attorneys must understand how to wield them effectively throughout different stages of a case to help build strategy, elevate witness preparation and effectively persuade the fact-finders, say Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie and Colorado prosecutor Adam Kendall.

  • Diving Deep Into Sweeping NY Financing Bill — And Its Pitfalls

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    A New York bill seeking to impose state usury limits onto a broader variety of financing arrangements and apply lender licensing requirements to more diverse entities would present near-insurmountable compliance challenges for lenders and retailers, say Kate Fisher and Tom Quinn at Hudson Cook.

  • Influencer Considerations As FINRA Initiates Crackdown

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    To avert risks when evaluating influencer and referral programs, firms should assess the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's recent settlements involving the supervision of social media tastemakers, as well as recent FINRA guidance in this area, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • What The FTC Report On AG Collabs Means For Cos.

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    The Federal Trade Commission's April report on working with state attorneys general shows collaboration can increase efficiency and consistency in how statutes are interpreted and enforced, which can minimize the likelihood of requests for inconsistent injunctive relief that can create operational problems for businesses, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • A Comparison Of FDIC, OCC Proposed Merger Approaches

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    Max Bonici and Connor Webb at Venable take a closer look at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's respective bank merger proposals and highlight certain common themes and important differences, in light of regulators continually rethinking their approaches to bank mergers.

  • Series

    Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.

  • Behind Court Challenges To The FTC's Final Noncompete Rule

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent final rule banning noncompetes may not go into effect any time soon amid a couple of Texas federal court challenges seeking to bar the rule's implementation, which will likely see appeals all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, says Michael Elkins at MLE Law.

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