FTC, AGs Say Amazon Pocketed $20B With Fraudulent Auctions

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The Federal Trade Commission and a bipartisan coalition of 22 states sued Amazon Monday, alleging it secretly overcharged advertising customers more than $20 billion by manipulating how it set prices for ads on its e-commerce website.

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Controversial Tweak To Calif. Antitrust Law Heads To Newsom

By Lauren Berg

A bill that would expand California's Cartwright Act to allow the state to pursue monopoly and monopsony claims against a solo company, instead of requiring multicompany coordinated conduct, is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk after state lawmakers passed a narrowed version of the controversial measure Sunday.

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NY's Landmark Climate Change Superfund Law Blocked

By Hailey Konnath

A New York federal judge Monday held that New York's Climate Change Superfund Act is preempted by federal law and cannot be enforced, saying the Clean Air Act does not authorize the Empire State to roll out its own emissions compensation scheme.

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6th Circ. Splits On Tenn. Social Media Age-Verification Law

By Emily Field

A split Sixth Circuit panel said a lower court should have blocked Tennessee's age-verification law for social media platforms while an internet industry group challenged the statute, finding the group had shown it would be harmed by compliance costs and the loss of free speech liberties.

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SEC Gears Up To Pull Shareholder Proposal Rule

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may soon propose regulations that could change the way corporate ballots are written and voted on, informing the White House of plans to address proxy solicitation and to rescind a commission regulation on shareholder proposals. 

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court this past week saw disputes over a $200 million federal grant, a $1.7 billion software take-private deal, the ouster of Better.com founder Vishal Garg and a proposed $4 million settlement stemming from an electric vehicle company's SPAC merger.

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SEC Flags Breaches Of Rule For 'Lost' Customers

By Sarah Jarvis

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission staff have flagged transfer agents and broker-dealers not searching for "lost" customers whose mail is returned, issuing a risk alert about complying with requirements under the "Lost Securityholders and Unresponsive Payees" rule.

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SEC, FDA Enter Info-Sharing Pact To Bolster Enforcement

By Rae Ann Varona

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Food and Drug Administration are looking to bolster information-sharing related to FDA-regulated products in a bid to help each other in their respective oversight and compliance efforts, according to a three-year memorandum of understanding the agencies announced Monday.

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Kalshi Bans George Santos, Candidates Over Improper Trades

By Aislinn Keely

Prediction market platform Kalshi said Monday that it permanently banned George Santos from the platform and imposed a $71,000 penalty against the convicted former U.S. representative for allegedly manipulating a prediction market on whether he would attend the 2026 State of the Union address.

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Oregon Packaging Law Survives Constitutional Challenge

By Tom Lotshaw

An Oregon federal judge ruled against a national trade association's challenge of an Oregon law that imposed recycling system costs on producers of packaging materials, rejecting arguments that it was unconstitutional.

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Brief

EU Sets Evidence Standard For Steel Duty Anti-Evasion Rule

By Jack McLoone

The European Commission on Monday established the types of evidence that those that import steel into the bloc will need to provide to satisfy new rules requiring clearer information about the country of origin for such products.

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9 More Drug Cos. Make Pricing Agreements With US

By Craig Clough

Nine more branded drug manufacturers reached deals cutting prices on their medications, President Donald Trump announced Monday, with nearly 90% of such products now being covered by "most-favored nation" deals in the United States.

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3rd Circ. Says History Backs NJ Telehealth License Rule

By Carla Baranauckas

The Third Circuit on Monday upheld New Jersey's requirement that out‑of‑state physicians obtain a state medical license before consulting with in-state patients via telemedicine, concluding that the rule fits a centuries‑old tradition of regulating medical practice and does not trigger strict First Amendment scrutiny.

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5th Circ. Hints At Dismissal Of Abortion Travel Assistance Suit

By Spencer Brewer

A Fifth Circuit panel seemed hesitant of a bid by abortion-rights nonprofits to revive their lawsuit challenging Texas laws enacted before Roe v. Wade was overturned that made it a felony to aid a woman seeking an abortion out of state, saying Fifth Circuit precedent already undid the laws.

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Calif. Passes Bills To Limit Tracking Suits, Boost Privacy

By Allison Grande

California lawmakers have sent to the governor's desk legislation that would block private litigants from bringing website tracking lawsuits under a key provision of the state's wiretap law, as well as a separate pair of bills to expand protections under the state's data privacy law. 

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DOGE Data-Privacy Suit Survives Reconsideration Bid

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge declined Friday to reconsider his March decision allowing a proposed class action accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully sharing federal employees' sensitive personal information with Department of Government Efficiency staffers to proceed, ruling that an "oversight" in his prior opinion wouldn't alter the result.

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AGs, WGA Slam Paramount's Bid For $1.9B Merger Suit Bond

By Lauren Berg

The Writers Guild of America and Democratic attorneys general urged a California federal judge Monday to reject Paramount Skydance Corp.'s bid to make them put up a $1.9 billion bond, saying it was the studio's idea to pause closing its planned $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery.

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ChatGPT, Reddit, Roblox ID'd For Extra EU Digital Safeguards

By Bryan Koenig

The European Commission labeled ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox on Monday as large enough to warrant extra rules for policing illegal content and other mandates, bringing the number of companies hit with Digital Services Act labels up to 28.

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Brief

FCC Names New Enforcement Bureau Chief

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission has named Hunter Deeley as its new Enforcement Bureau chief.

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Oregon Says Lifeline Integrity 'Robust' As FCC Probe Ensues

By Christopher Cole

Oregon told the Federal Communications Commission that its Lifeline phone subsidy program has shown low error rates as the FCC probes state programs that have opted out of a federal system to verify enrollees.

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'Reality Check' Needed For E-Rate, Says Ex-FCC Commish

By Christopher Cole

A former member of the Federal Communications Commission pushed Monday for a complete review of the E-Rate program for school and library telecom discounts, asking if instead of helping students learn, it's "doing harm."

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Feds' Crackdown Targets Commercial Trucking Fraud

By Linda Chiem

The Trump administration said Monday it is immediately shutting down 110 commercial driver's license schools for certifying truck drivers who can't read or speak English, and pledged to aggressively prosecute accused "fraudsters" who knowingly put untrained or unskilled truck drivers on American roads.

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Hong Kong's Tax Filing System Caused Trouble, Report Says

By Kevin Pinner

A significant number of Hong Kong taxpayers didn't finish filing taxes through the territory's online portal last year primarily because of unclear instructions, the Office of the Ombudsman said Monday.

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What DOJ Fraud Division Rule Resolves, And What It Doesn't

The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently published final rule answers many outstanding questions about the newly created National Fraud Enforcement Division, but overlapping mandates could result in parallel investigations and diverging viewpoints between multiple sets of prosecutors, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

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How Economic Analysis Informs Consumer Lending Disputes

A new wave of consumer lending class actions makes clear that economic analysis of control, pricing, repayment risk and borrower behavior will be central to litigation involving fintech platforms, earned wage access products and online lending models as regulatory enforcement recedes, say economists at The Brattle Group.

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How Texas' Protein Powder Probe Reflects Prop 65's Influence

Texas' recently announced investigation into contaminants in protein powder illustrates how California's Proposition 65, with its hundreds of listed chemicals, safe harbor levels and consumer warnings, may have an influence on enforcement and regulation in other states, say attorneys at Buchalter.

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Tackling DOL Tips On When Midday Commutes Are Paid Time

Two recent U.S. Department of Labor opinion letters explain when travel between home and work is compensable, providing wage compliance guidance to employers that want to offer flexible work schedules, and establishing clearer rules as litigation over travel time compensability heats up, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

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New F-1 Rule Will Cloud Day 1 Practical Training Backup Plans

A new F-1 visa rule scheduled to take effect Sept. 15 could significantly affect employers of international students by replacing duration of status with fixed admission periods and making curricular practical training a less predictable retention option, says Dillon Colucci at Greenberg Traurig.

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Using CFIUS' New Risk Matrix And Mitigation Guidance

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' national security matrix and related mitigation guidance provides a common vocabulary for allocating regulatory and mitigation risk in transaction documents, and may help focus any discussions with the agency, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

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Ex-Clifford Chance Attys Fight Bid To Toss Clawback Suit

By Ryan Boysen

The two partners facing a $6 million clawback demand by Clifford Chance LLP have again asked a federal judge to decide whether English or New York law should govern the arbitration, claiming the firm's partnership agreement is unclear.

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How Did Litigants Fare In Judge Albright's 55 Patent Trials?

By Dani Kass

U.S. District Judge Alan Albright oversaw more than 50 patent trials between his 2018 arrival on the bench and planned Monday departure, and in a surprise for many attorneys, there was a near-even split between victories for patent owners and accused infringers.

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New Report Rings Alarm On Threats To Judicial Independence

By Jack Karp

Verbal attacks on judges, disinformation about the courts and the defiance of court orders are undermining the independence of the federal judiciary and significantly affecting individual judges' ability to do their jobs, a report out Monday says.

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Roundup

Defamation Litigation Roundup: NYT, J&J, Azerbaijan

By Theresa Schliep

In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 details a jury verdict against The New York Times in a suit involving its reporting on a shooting in Alabama, and highlights a judge's decision to spare researchers from a suit by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary over their talc research.

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House Passes Bill To Curb Secret Prosecutor Orders

By Courtney Bublé

The House passed a bipartisan bill via voice vote Monday afternoon to add transparency to prosecutors' use of nondisclosure orders for telephone service providers.

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Brief

House Passes Bill Adding Texas, California Court Sites

By Courtney Bublé

The House voted 378-10 on Monday evening to expand access to federal courts in Texas and California, the two most populous states in the nation.

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Roundup

Hub Hires: MassBar, Kirkland, Troutman

By Chris Villani

Massachusetts' legal landscape saw a sizzling summer finish, with several major firms making hires. Kirkland added a veteran white collar defense attorney, Troutman bolstered its real estate team and Day Pitney nabbed an experienced corporate attorney.

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