Consumer Protection

  • May 29, 2024

    5th Circ. Sends Hain Toxic Baby Food Suit To State Court

    Grocery store chain Whole Foods Market Inc. and international food company Hain Celestial Group Inc. can't escape a lawsuit seeking to hold them liable for the mental and physical decline of a toddler, allegedly caused by tainted baby food they sold, the Fifth Circuit ruled, saying the case was improperly removed to federal court.

  • May 29, 2024

    Visa, Mastercard Consumers Ink $197.5M ATM Antitrust Deal

    A pair of Visa and Mastercard consumers asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge Wednesday to greenlight a $197.5 million class settlement that would resolve claims that the credit card companies conspired with major banks to fix ATM access fees.

  • May 29, 2024

    Pot Co. Stiiizy Accused Of Marketing Unsafe High-THC Wares

    California cannabis giant Stiiizy has been accused of marketing dangerous high-potency THC products to young people, allegedly resulting in cannabis-induced psychosis in one user who brought a product liability and fraud suit Wednesday in Northern California state court.

  • May 29, 2024

    Texas Securities Regulator Orders Crypto MLM To Shut Down

    Texas State Securities Board Commissioner Travis J. Iles has ordered the shutdown of an allegedly fraudulent Arkansas-based multilevel marketing scheme that claimed to offer investments in cloud mining cryptocurrency.

  • May 29, 2024

    NC State Is Blocking Probe Of PCBs In Building, Court Told

    North Carolina State University is trying to exploit the judicial process in order to destroy evidence of building contamination, a cancer-stricken professor told a state appeals court Tuesday in a bid to advance plans for a carcinogen inspection.

  • May 29, 2024

    Microsoft's Post-Merger Layoffs Cited In I-Told-You-So Appeal

    A private group of gamers is pointing to Microsoft's recent layoffs of 1,900 Activision and XBox employees as evidence of market harms stemming from Microsoft Corp.'s acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., as the group seeks to revive a private antitrust suit challenging the merger in the Ninth Circuit.

  • May 29, 2024

    Google, Apple Say Nothing New To Revive Search Pact Suit

    Google and Apple urged a California federal judge not to revive a private lawsuit accusing Google of paying Apple not to produce its own search engine, arguing the consumers have nothing new in citing months-old revelations from the Justice Department's search monopolization case against Google.

  • May 29, 2024

    FCC Chief Floats Plan To Cut Down On Orbital Satellite Debris

    The Federal Communications Commission's chair proposed new rules Wednesday aiming to reduce the chances of spacecraft explosions that leave debris in orbit.

  • May 29, 2024

    South Baltimore Citizens Call On EPA For Incinerator Relief

    Baltimore has turned a blind eye to South Baltimore residents suffering from respiratory diseases and persistently urging the city to transition away from Maryland's largest trash incinerator to zero-waste infrastructure for dealing with refuse, two environmental groups and a residents group say in an administrative complaint Wednesday.

  • May 29, 2024

    TikTok Ban Gets Expedited Sept. Hearing Date At DC Circ.

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday agreed to expedite the briefing schedule for a constitutional challenge against a federal law banning TikTok from the United States unless it severs its ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd., with oral arguments set to be heard this fall. 

  • May 29, 2024

    PJM Watchdog Challenges FERC's Meeting Roadblock

    Monitoring Analytics, the independent market monitor for regional transmission organization PJM Interconnection, is asking the D.C. Circuit to review a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order from March allowing PJM to keep the monitor out of its liaison committee meetings.

  • May 29, 2024

    Nationwide Says Hyundai, Kia Owe $7.7M For Engine Claims

    Nearly a dozen Nationwide insurers told a California federal court Wednesday that Hyundai and Kia are on the hook for 829 engine failure and engine fire claims totaling over $7.7 million in damages resulting from alleged engine defects in certain 2011-2019 vehicle models.

  • May 29, 2024

    Makeup Co. BIPA Suit Trimmed As Arbitration Bid Denied

    An Illinois federal judge on Tuesday said plaintiffs accusing e.l.f. Cosmetics of violating the state's biometric privacy law with its online virtual try-on tool lacked standing to bring two of their claims, while rejecting the company's arguments that the remaining claim should be arbitrated.

  • May 29, 2024

    Handbag Cos. Seek FTC In-House Delay For Fed. Court Row

    Tapestry and Capri are asking the Federal Trade Commission to delay an in-house challenge to the planned $8.5 billion merger combining the parent companies of Coach and Michael Kors, arguing the FTC's separate request for a preliminary injunction in New York federal court should take precedence.

  • May 29, 2024

    9th Circ. Rejects Objections To $23M Monsanto Roundup Deal

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a district court's approval of a $23 million MDL settlement to resolve claims that Monsanto failed to warn buyers of the carcinogens in its Roundup weed killer, finding there was no indication of collusion as argued by Missouri-based objectors.

  • May 29, 2024

    P&G Mislabels Tampax Products As 'Pure Cotton,' Suit Says

    Procter & Gamble's Tampax-brand "pure cotton" hygiene products are mislabeled and deceptive to customers since the tampons contain non-natural ingredients like polyester and titanium dioxide, according to a putative false advertising class action filed Tuesday in Illinois federal court. 

  • May 29, 2024

    Bankrupt BlockFi Agrees To $150k Penalty In Conn. Bond Row

    Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender BlockFi has reached a deal with Connecticut's banking regulator to pay a $150,000 civil penalty over claims the company failed to maintain a required surety bond, and a decision in November 2020 to halt account withdrawals from the platform.

  • May 29, 2024

    Barilla Pasta Buyers Win Class Cert. In Italy Labeling Suit

    A California federal judge on Tuesday certified a class action alleging Barilla falsely labels its pasta as being made in Italy after she rejected the company's argument the class is insufficiently defined since it removed the challenged representation in 2022, finding a well-defined class can include those who suffered no injury.

  • May 29, 2024

    No Sanctions Over Drone Video For Houston Cancer MDL Atty

    A state judge said Wednesday that she wasn't planning on sanctioning an attorney representing Houston residents living near a contaminated rail yard for allowing allegedly improper drone videos to be taken over the site despite telling the lawyer that the "miscommunication" with his staff is "really on you."

  • May 29, 2024

    6 Questions For FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez

    A year after she was nominated for the Federal Communications Commission's third Democratic seat, Anna Gomez says she's steadily progressing toward goals tied to connectivity, innovation, public safety and media localism in what she calls the "best job I've had in my career."

  • May 29, 2024

    Robinhood Reaches Deal To End 'Meme Stock' Investor Suit

    Robinhood Markets Inc. told a Florida federal judge Tuesday that it has reached a settlement with investors to resolve a suit over the trading platform's suspension of so-called meme stock purchases, saying it anticipates finalizing the deal within the next two weeks.

  • May 29, 2024

    Fire Chiefs Want FirstNet In Charge Of Revamped 4.9 GHz

    Firefighters across the country want the Federal Communications Commission to know that they're in favor of the agency's plan to turn the revamped 4.9-gigahertz public safety band over to a single, nationwide manager.

  • May 29, 2024

    Pool Co. Can't Avoid, Delay Paying $16M False Ad Verdict

    A North Carolina federal judge has cleared the way for an American swimming pool parts supplier to go after a $16 million judgment from its Chinese rival for false advertising and unfair business practices following a weeklong jury trial earlier this year.

  • May 29, 2024

    Acting Boston US Atty Says Fraud Cases Still High Priority

    Prosecuting a range of fraud cases despite finite resources will remain a priority for Massachusetts acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy as he enters his second year in the job, he told reporters on Wednesday in a question and answer session at his office.

  • May 29, 2024

    BofA Sued Over 'Confusing' Automatic Card Payment Terms

    Bank of America has been hit with a proposed class action in New York federal court over its "confusing" automatic credit card payment options that charge monthly interest even when a customer pays the balance in full.

Expert Analysis

  • Protested CFPB Supervisory Order Reveals Process, Priorities

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s order announcing its first use of special oversight power to place installment lender World Acceptance Corp. under supervision despite resistance from the company provides valuable insight into which products and practices may draw bureau scrutiny, and illuminates important nuances of the risk assessment procedures, say Josh Kotin and Michelle Rogers at Cooley.

  • Series

    Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: March Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from consumer fraud to employment — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including coercive communications with putative class members and Article III standing at the class certification stage.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • 3 Litigation Strategies To Combat 'Safetyism'

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    Amid the rise of safetyism — the idea that every person should be free from the risk of harm or discomfort — among jurors and even judges, defense counsel can mount several tactics from the very start of litigation to counteract these views and blunt the potential for jackpot damages, says Ann Marie Duffy at Hollingsworth.

  • How AI May Be Used In Fintech Fraud — And Fraud Detection

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    Recent enforcement actions in the fintech and finance industries show that the government is increasingly pursuing fraud enabled by artificial intelligence — at the same time it’s using AI innovations to enforce regulations and investigate fraud, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Takeaways From Groundbreaking Data Transfer Order

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    A recent first-of-its-kind executive order and related proposed rulemaking lay the groundwork for important outbound U.S. data protections, but they may have unintended consequences related to the types of data and the subjects within their scope, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks

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    Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.

  • Innodata Suit Highlights 'AI Washing' Liability Risk For Cos.

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    A class action against software company Innodata over so-called AI washing, one of the first of its kind, underscores the litigation and enforcement risks that can arise from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's novel theory about misleading artificial intelligence capabilities, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • The Epic Antitrust Cases And Challenges Of Injunctive Relief

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    The Epic cases against Apple and Google offer a window into the courts' considerable challenges in Big Tech litigation and establishing injunctive relief that enhances competition and benefits consumers, say Kelly Lear Nordby and Jon Tomlin at Ankura Consulting.

  • Banks Should Continue To Prep For CFPB Data Rule Rollout

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    Consumer Financial Protection Bureau-supervised banks should not expect industry pressure to delay the rollout of proposed Section 1033 open banking rules, which regulate how consumer financial information flows between financial institutions, and prepare their required data access portals and compliance procedures now, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • How Calif. Video Recording Ruling May Affect Insured Exams

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    A recent California appellate decision, Myasnyankin v. Nationwide, allowing policyholders to video record all parties to an insurance examination under oath, has changed the rules of the road for EUOs and potentially opened Pandora's box for future disputes, say John Edson and Preston Bennett at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 5 Things Trial Attorneys Can Learn From Good Teachers

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    Jennifer Cuculich at IMS Legal Strategies recounts lessons she learned during her time as a math teacher that can help trial attorneys connect with jurors, from the importance of framing core issues to the incorporation of different learning styles.

  • Fintech 'Prenups': Planning For A Card Program Breakup

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    After a year of economic downturns, some banks and their fintech partners are realizing they may have rushed to the altar without a good prenup, but planning ahead can curb both foreseeable and unexpected issues in the event of a termination of a bank-fintech card-issuing agreement, say Andrew Grant at Ketsal and Richard Malish at Community Federal Savings Bank.

  • Legal Considerations For Circular Economy Strategies

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    As circular economy goals — generating revenue at multiple points in a product's life cycle — become nearly ubiquitous in corporate sustainability practices, companies should reassess existing strategies by focusing on government incentives, regulations, and reporting and disclosure requirements, say Rachel Saltzman and Erin Grisby at Hunton.

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