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TOP NEWS UK Shields Insurers From Toughest Rules As GDPR Goes Live
The U.K. government on Wednesday wrote Europe's General Data Protection Regulation onto the domestic statute books, carving out generous exemptions for the insurance industry just two days before the regime kicks in.
Objectors Chafe At 18% Fee Request In $2.3B Forex Deal
Major questions still dog the path to final approval of a $2.3 billion settlement of forex-rate-rigging claims by 15 major banks, a hearing Wednesday revealed, as a New York federal judge asked plaintiffs’ counsel for more data to support an 18 percent fee request and delved into the proper treatment of ERISA claims.
Allstate Inks $6.5M Deal To End Calif. Junk Fax Class Action
A California federal judge said Wednesday he'll grant preliminary approval to a $6.5 million class action settlement ending claims alleging Allstate Insurance Co. unlawfully sent junk faxes to thousands of Golden State residents soliciting customers for car insurance.
Citing Coral Reefs, Enviros Push Ban Of Sunscreen Chemicals
The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday to ban the use of two sunscreen chemicals that allegedly damage coral reefs, ecosystems the group said were already threatened by higher ocean temperatures.
TCPA Class Action Over Car Dealer's Texts Will Go To Trial
A class action against used-car dealer Off Lease Only Inc. for allegedly sending unsolicited text messages in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act will head to a jury as a Florida federal judge found Wednesday that too many factual disputes remain for her to decide the case.
Analysis Impax Dismissal Offers Clues On Pay-For-Delay Under Actavis
The recent dismissal of a Federal Trade Commission action challenging a purported pay-for-delay agreement between Endo and Impax provides important insights about how courts could analyze these types of agreements under the Supreme Court's landmark Actavis ruling.
Digital Markets Need Own Consumer Focus: Antitrust Chief
Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, head of the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division, said Tuesday that the traditional consumer welfare standard, which places antitrust scrutiny on prices and products available to consumers, can be adapted to better enforce digital markets through an increased focus on innovation, choice and quality.
OCC Encourages Banks To Get Into Small-Dollar Credit
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Wednesday that it’s now encouraging the banks it oversees to get into the business of making short-term, small-dollar loans to consumers, a $90 billion market that the agency had previously steered banks away from.
LL Bean Says Proposed Slipper Class Action Doesn't Fit
L.L. Bean Inc. on Wednesday asked a Massachusetts federal judge to toss a putative class action, arguing the Bay State resident who says the clothing giant breached its satisfaction guarantee policy is simply looking to replace an old pair of slippers for free.
'Dieselgate' Stalled Sales, VW Salespeople Say In Class Action
News that Volkswagen rigged U.S. diesel emissions tests — a scandal sometimes referred to as “Dieselgate” — has harmed the “hardworking men and women who make their livelihood selling vehicles in the Volkswagen brand” and led to reduced sales, according to a consolidated class action filed in California federal court on Tuesday.
Drivers Amend Autobahn Parts Suit To Facilitate $1.6M Deal
A group of drivers amended their claims in California federal court Tuesday against auto dealer Autobahn Inc. to help effectuate a proposed settlement that would provide the drivers with $1.6 million in vouchers for dropping claims the company misled them into believing it used genuine Mercedes parts to repair their vehicles.
CFPB Fights Think Finance's 'Meritless' Dismissal Bid
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday defended its suit alleging Think Finance duped borrowers and used sham tribal payday lenders to collect money it was not owed, telling a Montana federal judge that other courts have already approved substantially identical claims and calling the company's April dismissal motion "meritless."
Why 9th Circ. Revisited Its Decision On 'Flushable' Wipes
Earlier this month, the Ninth Circuit amended its 2017 decision in Davidson v. Kimberly-Clark Corp., and made it clear that a plaintiff who has learned the truth about an allegedly false advertisement only has standing if she intends to purchase the product again in the future, says Lucia Roibal of Morrison & Foerster LLP.
Feature Foreign Lobbyists Step Into Light After Manafort Downfall
“Ridiculous” is how Paul Manafort's attorney has described his client's charges under a loosely followed foreign lobbying law, but a Law360 analysis shows that throngs of Washington influencers are now emerging from the shadows to comply.
Feature BigLaw Feels The Heat In FARA Enforcement Push
Behind the scenes, law firms are scrambling to stay in the government’s good graces after the Foreign Agents Registration Act was used to indict President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman.
Feature As Foreign Agent Disclosure Soars, Reform Efforts Bog Down
With the Foreign Agents Registration Act in the spotlight, some members of Congress are facing big challenges in their quest to add teeth to the law.
Akin Gump Partner To Testify At Manafort Trial
Attorneys for Special Counsel Robert Mueller confirmed Wednesday in D.C. district court that they intend to call Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP partner Melissa L. Laurenza to testify at the trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Ex-BigLaw Atty Who Shot Wife Sentenced To Life In Prison
A Georgia judge on Wednesday sentenced a former Fisher Phillips LLP partner who fatally shot his wife to life in prison, after an Atlanta jury rejected the attorney’s contention that the shooting was an accident and convicted him of felony murder. BigLaw Too Focused On Legal Fallout In #MeToo: ABA Panel
Too many BigLaw leaders are focused on sexual harassment in the workplace and the #MeToo movement as a legal risk rather than a solvable cultural problem, legal industry and employment experts said Wednesday. Trump's 11th Circ. Pick Sails Through Confirmation Hearing
President Donald Trump's choice for an Eleventh Circuit seat faced few questions in her Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday and no opposition from Republicans who control whether Georgia Supreme Court Justice Britt Grant's nomination advances. DC Circ. Votes To Livestream Audio For Oral Arguments
The judges on the D.C. Circuit have voted to begin streaming live audio in nearly all oral arguments after it started doing so on a case-by-case basis last fall, the powerful U.S. appeals court said Wednesday in a victory for judicial transparency supporters. Courtroom Cackles Get Farm Co. A Fed. Circ. Redo In IP Suit
While not as noisy as a barnyard, the chatter and laughter heard during attorney presentations led the Federal Circuit on Wednesday to grant a North Dakota farm equipment company a rehearing in its patent infringement case against a rival.
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