Consumer Protection

  • September 24, 2024

    FAA Chief Updates House Panel On Boeing Safety Culture Fix

    The Federal Aviation Administration's chief told a House panel Tuesday that the agency has "dramatically" increased its oversight of Boeing, as lawmakers raised concerns about the pace of Boeing's safety culture overhaul amid an ongoing labor dispute with 33,000 workers.

  • September 24, 2024

    Dish Slams 'Entitled' Standard General Exec's Race Bias Suit

    Dish Network has called for sanctions against Soo Kim, his hedge fund Standard General and their attorneys, calling Kim's racial discrimination suit against Dish, the Federal Communications Commission and a collection of other media players "an expensive temper tantrum."

  • September 24, 2024

    A Lawyer Promised Clients Fast Action. Then He 'Disappeared'

    Dozens of ex-clients of a lawyer who practices in Florida and New York have accused him of orchestrating a racketeering scheme in which clients were duped into paying nonrefundable retainer fees for legal services that were never delivered, allegedly causing a couple to lose their home while others lost custody of their children.

  • September 24, 2024

    Man In Mueller Report Asks DC Circ. To Revive Privacy Claim

    A Georgian-American businessman named in special counsel Robert Mueller's report on 2016 Russian election interference has petitioned the D.C. Circuit for an en banc review of a panel's decision not to revive his Privacy Act damages claim related to supposed inaccuracies, arguing the panel erred in finding he had abandoned damages arguments.

  • September 24, 2024

    BREAKING: Star Witness Against Bankman-Fried Gets 2 Years In FTX Case

    A Manhattan federal judge sentenced former cryptocurrency executive Caroline Ellison to two years in prison Tuesday, crediting her decision to testify against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried but saying the $11.2 billion fraud was too big to warrant a "get out of jail free card."

  • September 24, 2024

    8th Circ. Mulls Arkansas' Authority To Regulate Hemp

    An Eighth Circuit panel on Monday pushed attorneys for the state of Arkansas and a group of hemp companies to define precisely how much power states have to restrict the production and sale of intoxicating products derived from federally legal hemp.

  • September 24, 2024

    BREAKING: DOJ Accuses Visa Of Monopolizing Debit Card Market

    The U.S. Department of Justice accused Visa on Tuesday of illegally maintaining a monopoly over debit card networks by using its dominance to thwart competition from new and existing rivals, as the Biden administration continues its push to combat high prices using antitrust law.

  • September 24, 2024

    1st Circ. Sides With Wynn Casino Over Voucher Payouts

    The First Circuit affirmed a lower court's decision tossing a proposed class action over Wynn Resorts Encore Boston Harbor casino's use of vouchers instead of coins to pay out winnings under $1.

  • September 23, 2024

    Nike, Others Let TikTok 'Fingerprint' Sites, Suits Claim

    Nike, its subsidiary Converse and telehealth company Teladoc were each hit with proposed class actions on Friday in California federal court over allegations that they violated the state's "trap and trace" law by using TikTok software to collect personal data from visitors to their websites.

  • September 23, 2024

    Albertsons Says Wash. AG 'Cherry-Picked' Merger Fears

    Counsel for Albertsons accused Washington regulators Monday of cherry-picking comments from the grocer's CEO hyping Kroger as key competition to bolster the government's case for blocking the merger and overcame the state's objections to introduce emails where the CEO expressed fears about Costco, Walmart and Amazon's ever-expanding reach.

  • September 23, 2024

    3rd Circ. Probes SEC's 'Close To Vacuous' Reply To Coinbase

    Members of a Third Circuit panel on Monday pressed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on its brief denial of crypto exchange Coinbase's request for rulemaking around digital assets, digging into how much of an explanation the agency owes the industry about its decision to forego setting rules for now.

  • September 23, 2024

    Google Executive Says There's No Internal Ad Tech Advantage

    A Google executive pushed back Monday on some of the U.S. Justice Department's most important allegations of a conflict of interest in the search giant's control over online display advertising placement technology, arguing that website publishers are in charge of how ads are placed and priced.

  • September 23, 2024

    Need To Bag Your Groceries? You Can Have Paper, Calif. Says

    California grocery stores won't be allowed to offer plastic bags of any kind in their checkout lines under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom a day before the California Attorney General's Office on Monday accused Exxon Mobil Corp. of inundating the state with plastic waste.

  • September 23, 2024

    Lowe's Customer Fights Arbitration Bid In 'Made In USA' Suit

    A Lowe's customer opposed the retailer's bid to cut down his proposed class action accusing the company of falsely advertising its safety gloves as U.S. made, telling a Michigan federal court Lowe's has no grounds to send his claims to individual arbitration or relocate the dispute to North Carolina.

  • September 23, 2024

    John Paul Mitchell Beats Dry Shampoo Benzene Suit, For Now

    An Illinois federal judge ruled Monday a putative consumer class action claiming a Paul Mitchell dry shampoo contains cancer-causing benzene didn't sufficiently show an "injury-in-fact" to warrant damages or even that the product contained the carcinogen, but gave the consumers a chance to amend their complaint.

  • September 23, 2024

    Calif. Gov. Vetoes Privacy Bill, OKs Social Media Addiction Law

    California's governor has refused to enact legislation that would have required browser developers to make it easier for consumers to stop the sale and sharing of their personal information, while approving a bill that will block online platforms from using algorithms to deliver addictive feeds to children without parental consent.

  • September 23, 2024

    Gordon Rees Gets Insurer's Wash. Malpractice Suit Trimmed

    A Washington judge issued a mixed order in a lawsuit brought by the insurer for a climbing equipment manufacturer over allegations that misconduct by a Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP attorney — coupled with another insurer's decision to yank coverage — forced the manufacturer into a settlement over a climber's fall.

  • September 23, 2024

    Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Extend Pandemic IG's Life

    A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill Monday to extend the pandemic watchdog five years beyond its March sunset, which the office has been asking for continuously.

  • September 23, 2024

    EPA Admits Mistakes In Approving New Chevron Chemicals

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday told the D.C. Circuit that it overestimated the risk of allowing Chevron Corp. to create new fuel chemicals derived from plastic waste, asking the appeals court to remand the order authorizing the new substances back to federal regulators.

  • September 23, 2024

    'Bluey,' 'Paw Patrol' App Maker Sued Over 'Stealth Marketing'

    A proposed class of parents is suing Budge Studios Inc., the maker of licensed phone and tablet applications for children's cartoons such as "Bluey" and "Paw Patrol," alleging that the company used predatory "stealth marketing" and "dark patterns" to entice children into getting their parents to pay for monthly subscriptions and in-app purchases.

  • September 23, 2024

    Navigation Co. Says Criticisms Of 900 MHz Plan Overblown

    A navigation company that wants to use portions of the lower 900 megahertz band to set up an Earth-based broadband and geolocation network has told the Federal Communications Commission that critics' concerns about interference are overstated.

  • September 23, 2024

    Kroger Fights FTC's Bid To Move Constitutionality Case

    Kroger is fighting to keep its challenge to the Federal Trade Commission's in-house courts in Ohio federal court, pushing back against the agency's effort to get it paused or moved to Oregon, where the FTC's case against the company's merger with Albertson's is already playing out.

  • September 23, 2024

    Medical Records Co. Accused Of Blocking Data Access

    A company that helps insurance providers access patient data on Monday accused medical records company Epic Systems Corp. of violating antitrust law by using its monopoly over electronic health records to squash an emerging competitor.

  • September 23, 2024

    Paxton Urges Firearms Ban Reversal Before State Fair Opens

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a state appeals court Monday for emergency relief prohibiting the State Fair of Texas from enforcing its new policy banning firearms on fairgrounds, writing that the entity is "forcing thousands of law-abiding Texans to choose" between their constitutional rights and attendance at the state tradition, which opens Friday.

  • September 23, 2024

    Calif. Sues Exxon For Plastic Pollution And Recycling Deception

    California's attorney general and a coalition of conservation groups hit Exxon Mobil Corp. with a pair of lawsuits on Monday claiming the petrochemical giant has inundated the state with harmful plastic waste while misleading people about recycling's ability to ever make a dent in the problem.

Expert Analysis

  • Dealmaker Lessons From CFIUS' New Enforcement Webpage

    Author Photo

    The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ recently launched webpage, which details the actions — and inactions — that led to enforcement activity, provides important insights for dealmakers about filing requirements, mitigation commitments and the cost of noncompliance, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • What's In Colorado's 1st-Of-Its-Kind Neural Privacy Law

    Author Photo

    Colorado recently became the first U.S. state to directly regulate neurotechnology with new legislation amending the Colorado Privacy Act to specifically protect biological and neural data, offering an example of how lawmakers can tackle the perceived regulation gaps in this area, say attorneys at Goodwin Procter.

  • What To Expect From Calif. Bill Regulating PE In Healthcare

    Author Photo

    A California bill currently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's approval, intended to increase oversight over private equity and hedge fund investments in healthcare, is emblematic of recent increased scrutiny of investments in the space, and may affect transactions and operations in California in a number of ways, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners

    Author Photo

    Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics

    Author Photo

    Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.

  • What To Know About Insurance Coverage For Antitrust Risks

    Author Photo

    With all the regulatory activity surrounding antitrust and unfair competition claims, as highlighted by last month's D.C. federal court decision that Google is a monopolist, businesses must not only ensure compliance, but also understand their potential insurance coverage when such claims arise, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes Boone.

  • Exploring Practical Employer Alternatives To Noncompetes

    Author Photo

    With the Federal Trade Commission likely to appeal a federal court’s recent rejection of its noncompete ban, and more states limiting the enforceability of these agreements, employers should consider back-to-basics methods for protecting their business interests and safeguarding sensitive information, says Brendan Horgan at FordHarrison.

  • How Labeling And Testing May Help Reduce PFAS Litigation

    Author Photo

    As regulators take steps to reduce consumers’ exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, companies can take a proactive approach to mitigating litigation risks not only by labeling their products transparently, but also by complying with testing and marketing standards, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

    Author Photo

    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

  • Avoid Getting Burned By Agencies' Solar Financing Spotlight

    Author Photo

    Recently coordinated reports and advisories from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission maximize the spotlight on the consumer solar financing market and highlight pitfalls for lenders to avoid in this burgeoning field, says Mercedes Tunstall at Cadwalader.

  • Calif. Bill, NTIA Report Illustrate Open-Model AI Safety Debate

    Author Photo

    The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s balanced recommendations for preventing misuse of open artificial intelligence models, contrasted with a more aggressive California bill, demonstrate an evolving regulatory debate about balancing democratic access to this powerful new technology against potential risks to the public, say Stuart Meyer and Fredrick Tsang at Fenwick.

  • 'Greenhushing': Why Some Cos. Are Keeping Quiet On ESG

    Author Photo

    A wave of ESG-related litigation and regulations have led some companies to retreat altogether from any public statements about their ESG goals, a trend known as "greenhushing" that was at the center of a recent D.C. court decision involving Coca-Cola, say Gonzalo Mon and Katie Rogers at Kelley Drye.

  • Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • 5 Credibility Lessons Trial Attys Can Learn From Harris' Run

    Author Photo

    In launching a late-stage campaign for president, Vice President Kamala Harris must seize upon fresh attention from voters to establish, or reestablish, credibility — a challenge that parallels and provides takeaways for trial attorneys, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Opinion

    A Fuzzy Label With Bite: FTC Must Define Surveillance Pricing

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission recently issued orders to eight companies — including Mastercard, McKinsey and Chase — seeking information on "surveillance pricing," but the order doesn't explain the term or make the distinction between legal and illegal practices, leaving any company that uses personalized pricing in the dark, says Chris Wlach at Huge.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!