Consumer Protection

  • March 18, 2024

    Atty For Ex-Overstock CEO Admits Dominion Discovery Leaks

    A lawyer representing former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne against a defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems admitted to a D.C. federal judge on Monday that she shared Dominion's discovery documents with law enforcement as Dominion's attorneys decried the leak as a flagrant violation of a court protective order.

  • March 18, 2024

    Meta Wants Emergency Stop Of FTC Privacy Tweaks

    Meta is seeking an immediate injunction to halt the Federal Trade Commission's changes to its 2020 settlement with the company, asking the D.C. Circuit to hear its appeal before the social media giant must respond to a show cause order on why the deal shouldn't be modified.

  • March 18, 2024

    FTC Says 2 Fintechs Will Pay $59M To Settle PPP Loan Claims

    Two fintech firms heavily involved in a key federal pandemic-era loan program for small businesses have agreed to pay a combined $59 million to settle Federal Trade Commission claims of bungled application processing that failed to deliver speedy relief funding as advertised, the FTC said Monday.

  • March 18, 2024

    Senate Dems Press Congress On Broadband Subsidy Renewal

    Nearly three dozen Senate Democrats urged the leadership of both chambers to restore funding for the Federal Communications Commission's broadband program as time runs short to continue paying consumer discounts for internet service.

  • March 18, 2024

    Petrillo Klein Nabs NY Consumer Protection Chief As Partner

    The former acting head of the Consumer Protection and Financial Enforcement Division of the New York State Department of Financial Services has joined Petrillo Klein & Boxer LLP, where he will focus on white-collar defense of both individuals and institutions.

  • March 18, 2024

    FCC Fines Ga. Radio Broadcaster Over Station Silences

    The former owner of a Georgia sports radio station has been slapped with a $16,200 fine by the FCC for repeatedly suspending operations, allowing the station to change hands without permission and not answering the agency's inquiries about any of it.

  • March 18, 2024

    Provider To Pay $100K Fine For 'Downselling' Broadband

    A fiber broadband provider in Texas and Louisiana has agreed to pay a $100,000 fine to the Federal Communications Commission for selling only its slowest service plan to customers in the Affordable Connectivity Program.

  • March 18, 2024

    How A Car Crash And 20 Years Of Litigation Ended With $25M

    A $25.5 million verdict returned by a Georgia jury for the family of a woman killed in a 2003 taxi crash was the result of decades of litigation perseverance, with more work ahead to help ensure that a similar tragedy does not occur, her family's lawyer told Law360.

  • March 18, 2024

    SEC Sanctioned Over 'Bad Faith Conduct' In Crypto Case

    A Utah federal judge sanctioned the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday over misstatements its counsel made to obtain emergency measures against crypto project Debt Box, ordering the regulator to pay both the defense's and receiver's attorney fees as well as legal costs arising from the regulator's "bad faith conduct."

  • March 18, 2024

    Amazon Again Tries To Sink NBA 2K Facial Scan Claims

    Amazon is insisting it did not run afoul of Illinois' biometric privacy law, saying an amended complaint in a proposed class action in Washington federal court has failed to show the e-commerce company's cloud service collected or disclosed facial scans of teens playing the hit game NBA 2K.

  • March 18, 2024

    Bayer Beats False-Ad Suit Over 'Honey Lemon Zest' Cold Med

    A New York federal judge on Monday tossed without leave to amend a proposed class action accusing Bayer Healthcare LLC of falsely claiming that its Alka-Seltzer Plus brand over-the-counter severe cold medication contains honey and lemon, saying the product's packaging reflects flavoring and not actual ingredients.

  • March 18, 2024

    Food Industry Group Urges 9th Circ. To Keep GMO Labeling Rule

    A trade group representing corporate giants including Coca-Cola and General Mills has urged the Ninth Circuit to keep a federal labeling rule allowing disclosure of genetic modifications to foods to be done digitally, claiming that upsetting the rule would present "significant disruption for industry and consumers alike."

  • March 18, 2024

    FINRA Fines Firm Over Social Media Influencers' Posts

    The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority announced Monday that it has settled its first formal enforcement disciplinary action stemming from a firm's supervision of social media influencers, fining financial services provider M1 Finance LLC $850,000 for its influencers' misleading posts.

  • March 18, 2024

    Sen. Vance Backs Suit To Declare Google Common Carrier

    Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and an anti-monopoly nonprofit have backed the Ohio state attorney general's lawsuit seeking to declare Google as a common carrier.

  • March 18, 2024

    Amazon, Bumkins Accused Of Not Flagging 'Superbibs' Chemical

    Amazon and baby products manufacturer Bumkins Finer Baby Products face a lawsuit in California state court alleging they sell DC Comics-themed "Superbibs" meant for feeding infants without warning customers as the law requires that they contain perfluorooctanoic acid, a "forever chemical" that may cause certain cancers and reproductive problems.

  • March 18, 2024

    Tesla Trial To Test Bounds Of Autonomous Cars' Future

    An upcoming California trial seeking to hold Tesla accountable for the death of a driver who had been playing games on his cellphone while his vehicle was in Autopilot may force the auto industry to recalibrate its approach to advanced driver-assistance systems, as developers pushing fully autonomous transportation stare down the threat of new legal landmines, experts say.

  • March 18, 2024

    Apple Beats Most Claims In AirTag Stalking Suit, For Now

    A California federal judge has dismissed the majority of a proposed class action accusing Apple of not doing enough to safeguard its AirTag tracking device from being abused by stalkers, saying that apart from a few negligence and product liability claims under Golden State law, the rest need to be reworked.

  • March 18, 2024

    New York Magazine Urges Judge To Toss Reader Privacy Suit

    New York Magazine says it has too few Michigan-based subscribers for them to maintain a class action under a Michigan consumer privacy law, urging a judge to toss claims that it wrongfully disclosed readers' data to third parties.

  • March 18, 2024

    Pabst Gets Calif. Judge To Can 'Olympia Beer' False Ad Suit

    A California federal judge sided with Pabst Brewing Co. on Monday in a consumer's false advertising suit, finding that the label of its now-defunct Olympia Beer was unlikely to mislead a reasonable consumer into thinking the lager was brewed in Washington using Pacific Northwest water.

  • March 18, 2024

    FCC Raises Broadband Speeds, But Many ISPs Already There

    Many households across the country can already get the Federal Communications Commission's new benchmark for broadband internet, but making sure that level of service reaches rural and tribal areas remains a tough challenge.

  • March 18, 2024

    Google Defeats BIPA Suit Over IBM Face Dataset, For Now

    Google has defeated a proposed class action by Illinois residents who accused the company of violating the state's biometric privacy laws with facial data collected by IBM, after a California federal judge said their claims don't establish that Google's alleged violations took place in the Prairie State.

  • March 18, 2024

    2 Investment Firms To Pay SEC $400K For 'AI Washing'

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday said it had reached settlements totaling $400,000 with a pair of investment advisers over claims that they made false and misleading statements about their use of artificial intelligence.

  • March 18, 2024

    Home Solar Co.'s Ex-CEO Wants Out Of Faulty-Panel Suit

    The CEO of a bankrupt solar company asked a Michigan federal judge on Monday to toss a lawsuit from a couple who purchased a solar system they claim was defective, saying having a "distinctive leadership style" does not make him an alter ego for the company.

  • March 18, 2024

    EPA Bans Most Common Asbestos In 'Cancer Moonshot' Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized a ban on the most prevalent variety of asbestos, the first asbestos risk management rule issued since the Toxic Substances Control Act was amended in 2016.

  • March 18, 2024

    Marriott Must Face Suit For Booting Kidswear Wholesalers

    Marriott International must face a suit by two clothing wholesalers who were kicked out of rooms at a Fairfield Inn just outside Boston for violating an undisclosed "non-solicitation" policy, a Massachusetts appellate court said Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • 3 Notification Pitfalls To Avoid With Arbitration Provisions

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    In Lipsett v. Popular Bank, the Second Circuit found that a bank's arbitration provision was unenforceable due to insufficient notice to a customer that he was bound by the agreement, highlighting the importance of adequate communication of arbitration provisions, and customers' options for opting out, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Tips For Orgs Facing AI Data Privacy Compliance Challenges

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    Regulators around the world are actively seeking to enforce data privacy and consumer protection laws against companies providing artificial intelligence-related services, raising complex compliance questions in areas like transparency, data minimization, lawfulness of processing, data subject rights and higher risk activities, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • What's At Play In Rising Lanham Act Cases At The ITC

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    Amid an uptick in Lanham Act claims involving false advertising related to medical devices at the U.S. International Trade Commission, Brian Busey and Maryrose McLaughlin at MoFo discuss recent ITC complaints from Eli Lilly and R.J. Reynolds, Lanham Act claim limits under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and the issues practitioners face in this realm.

  • Preempting Bottled Water Microplastics Fraud Claims

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    Food products like bottled water are increasingly likely to be targets of consumer fraud complaints due to alleged microplastics contamination — but depending on the labeling or advertising at issue, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act can provide a powerful preemption defense, say Tariq Naeem and Brenda Sweet at Tucker Ellis.

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