Retail & E-Commerce

  • October 09, 2025

    Big Lots Gets OK For $6.5M Deal On Exec Claims

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved a $6.5 million settlement between retail chain Big Lots and its directors and officers, resolving claims by unsecured creditors that the company's board bungled an attempt to sell the company last year.

  • October 08, 2025

    Trump Tariffs Unconstitutional, Watchdog Tells Justices

    Either President Donald Trump doesn't have authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or the law is unconstitutional, the nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog told the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday, urging the justices to affirm lower court rulings deeming those measures unlawful.

  • October 08, 2025

    Senate IP Leader Plans Push To Pass Patent Eligibility Bill

    Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., the leader of the Senate's intellectual property subcommittee, said Wednesday that before he leaves Congress in just over a year, one of his primary goals will be to advance his long-gestating bill to make more inventions eligible for patents.

  • October 08, 2025

    Amazon Can't Nix Counterclaims In Calif. Solar Projects Battle

    Amazon can't dodge counterclaims in a dispute over the fallout from power purchase pacts tied to two California solar developments, a Washington state judge has said, finding the projects' backers have adequately alleged the tech giant spoiled the deals by abusing its dominance in the renewable energy market.

  • October 08, 2025

    NY AG Cracks Down On Mercury In Skin Lightener Creams

    New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday said she has ordered three companies to end their selling of skin lightening creams that contain dangerously high levels of mercury, sometimes up to 30,000 times the legal limit under the state's law.

  • October 08, 2025

    'I Don't Want To Be A Referee,' Google Search Judge Says

    A D.C. federal judge faced the prospect Wednesday of years more involvement in the U.S. Justice Department's case against Google's search monopoly, saying during a hearing that he's trying to balance avoiding being a "referee" for his remedies decision while preventing "misuses" of data sharing and search syndication mandates.

  • October 08, 2025

    Exxon Retail Voting Program Green Light Inspires Other Cos.

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent green light of Exxon Mobil Corp.'s program to enable automated proxy voting for retail investors has sparked interest among other firms exploring implementing their own such programs, as the oil and gas giant moves to counter activist groups.

  • October 08, 2025

    Judge OKs Amazon's Evidence Clawback In Antitrust Suits

    Amazon can claw back certain documents it handed over during discovery in a series of antitrust lawsuits alleging the company's merchant policies artificially raised market prices, a Seattle federal judge has ruled, rejecting objections raised by consumers suing the e-commerce giant.

  • October 08, 2025

    Federal Court Tosses Challenge To DC Cannabinoid Rule

    A lawsuit seeking to upend Washington, D.C.'s statutes that placed hemp products containing delta-9 THC into same category as marijuana was dismissed on Wednesday when a federal judge ruled that a hemp retailer, who filed the suit after its shop was shut down, totally misunderstood the "2018 Farm Bill and its impact on D.C. law."

  • October 08, 2025

    11th Circ. Urged To Keep Ga.'s E-Commerce Regs On Ice

    Internet trade group NetChoice urged the Eleventh Circuit Wednesday to leave in place an injunction that for more than a year has kept Georgia from enforcing new requirements on e-commerce platforms, arguing the state's law tries to push past a regulatory "ceiling" already imposed by federal law.

  • October 08, 2025

    Judge To OK Neiman Marcus Trust's Altered Payout Scheme

    A Texas bankruptcy judge said on Wednesday he would allow the liquidating trustee in reorganized debtor Neiman Marcus' bankruptcy case to make distributions to unsecured creditors largely along the trustee's requested lines but without an abbreviated deadline for unclaimed funds to revert to the trust.

  • October 08, 2025

    DOJ Asks For Stay In PVC Antitrust Case Amid Criminal Probe

    The U.S. Department of Justice is asking an Illinois federal court to pause discovery in a case accusing polyvinyl chloride pipe manufacturers of using a commodity pricing service to exchange information and fix prices while a grand jury investigates the alleged activity.

  • October 08, 2025

    2 More States Join Growing US Privacy Regulator Consortium

    A bipartisan collective of U.S. regulators that was recently formed to collaborate on the implementation and enforcement of their states' data privacy regimes has swelled to double digits, with the attorneys general of Minnesota and New Hampshire on Wednesday being announced as the group's newest members. 

  • October 07, 2025

    Chobani Says Coffee Rival Can't Claim 'Bright & Mellow' TM

    Chobani on Monday urged a New York federal court to throw out rival Danone's unregistered trademark infringement suit over use of the phrase "Bright & Mellow" to market ready-to-drink coffee, arguing that Danone contends "it alone" may use those "ordinary adjectives."

  • October 07, 2025

    Wash. Spam Email Law Is Unconstitutional, Retailers Say

    Beauty retail giant Ulta and home improvement retailer Home Depot argued last week in separate cases that Washington state's Commercial Electronic Mail Act is unconstitutional and preempted by federal law as they seek to shed proposed consumer class actions claiming their promotional emails were misleading.

  • October 07, 2025

    Bausch And Teva Blocked Cheaper IBS Drug, Retailers Say

    A slew of retailers on Tuesday accused Bausch Health Cos. Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals of working together to keep the generic version of an irritable bowel syndrome drug off the market until 2028, forcing the retailers and other purchasers of the drug to pay monopoly prices.

  • October 07, 2025

    Sunbeam Ovens Burn Users, Suit Says

    Sunbeam Products Inc. and its parent company, Newell Brands Inc., were hit Tuesday with a proposed class action in federal court over a recalled countertop oven by a New Yorker claiming the appliance burned her and that the company failed to warn about the risks of injury.

  • October 07, 2025

    Hemp Retailer Sues Ohio Police Department Over Seizure

    An Ohio police department seized more than half a million dollars' worth of hemp using a bad search warrant claiming that the hemp, which is legal, was marijuana, the hemp retailer told a federal court Monday.

  • October 07, 2025

    No Coverage For Smoke Shop Over Fatal Crash, Insurer Says

    A smoke shop's insurer told a North Carolina state appeals court the shop shouldn't receive coverage for a lawsuit alleging it's liable for a fatal auto collision because it sold nitrous oxide products to the at-fault driver, arguing its policy covered bodily injury only on the shop's premises.

  • October 07, 2025

    Cuban Cigar Co. Not Entitled To 'Cohiba' TMs, 4th Circ. Told

    General Cigar Co. has asked the Fourth Circuit to overturn a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision to grant a Cuban state-owned cigar producer's request to cancel two trademark registrations for the term "Cohiba," contending that the decision conflicts with U.S. law governing the embargo against Cuba.

  • October 07, 2025

    Chanel, The RealReal Fail To Reach Settlement In TM Feud

    Fashion house Chanel and used-items retailer The RealReal Inc. have told a Manhattan federal judge they haven't been able to reach a settlement on Chanel's claims of trademark infringement despite, as The RealReal's attorneys put it, significant efforts being expended to try to reach a compromise.

  • October 07, 2025

    Amazon Supplement Buyers Seek Spoliation Penalties

    Consumers in a proposed class action accusing Amazon of peddling dietary supplements without making federally required disclosures urged a Washington federal judge on Tuesday to punish the e-commerce giant for allegedly failing to preserve product detail webpages they say are key to the litigation. 

  • October 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Tosses Sporting Goods Co. Suit Against Ex-Landlord

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday backed the dismissal of a sporting goods retailer's suit against its former landlord, which was accused of wrongfully charging the retailer with monthly fee invoices even after the retailer left the location it was renting due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • October 07, 2025

    Apple Seeks To Toss IPhone, Watch Buyers' Antitrust Suits

    Apple has asked a New Jersey federal court to toss multidistrict antitrust litigation brought by iPhone and Apple Watch buyers, arguing that while they "try in vain to invent" theories about how Apple charges monopoly prices the inflation-adjusted price of the latest iPhone is nearly the same as the first model.

  • October 07, 2025

    Evenflo's Recall Over Choking Hazard Is Inadequate, Suit Says

    An Evenflo customer filed a proposed deceptive marketing class action complaint in Massachusetts federal court alleging the company failed to disclose that its Revolve360 Slim child car seats have easily detachable foam headrests that pose potential choking hazards.

Expert Analysis

  • Takeaways From DOJ's Latest FCA Customs Fraud Intervention

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent intervention in a case alleging customs-related reverse False Claims Act fraud underlines the government’s increased scrutiny of, and importers’ corresponding exposure from, information related to product classification, country of origin and pricing, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook

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    The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.

  • Tips For Companies Crafting Tariff Surcharge Disclosures

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    As the Trump administration imposes tariffs on imports, retail businesses considering itemizing tariff-related costs separately for consumers must ensure that any disclosures are both accurate and defensible to avoid regulatory enforcement or private suits, says Christopher Cole at Katten.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigLaw

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    While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.

  • Top 3 Litigation Finance Deal-Killers, And How To Avoid Them

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    Like all transactions, litigation finance deals can sometimes collapse, but understanding the most common reasons for failure, including a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of deal terms, can help both parties avoid problems, say Rebecca Berrebi at Avenue 33 and Boris Ziser at Schulte Roth.

  • Compliance Lessons From Warby Parker's HIPAA Fine

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    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' civil money penalty against Warby Parker highlights the emerging challenges that consumer-facing brands encounter when expanding into healthcare-adjacent sectors, with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance being a potential focus of regulatory attention, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

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    Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • Tracking The Evolution Of Liability Management Exercises

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    As liability management exercises face increasing legal scrutiny, understanding the history of these debt restructuring tools can help explain how the playbook keeps adapting — and why the next move is always just one ruling or transaction away, say attorneys at Weil.

  • What Banks Must Do To Attract Gen Z Customers

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    The young adults of Generation Z bank differently, so financial institutions must engage appropriately if they wish to attract this key population, including by leveraging savvy marketing, well-designed online interfaces and top-notch customer service, says Madeline Thieschafer at Fredrikson & Byron.

  • Rebuttal

    Mass Arbitration Reform Must Focus On Justice

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    A recent Law360 guest article argued that mass arbitration reform is needed to alleviate companies’ financial and administrative burdens, but any such reform must deliver real justice, not just cost savings for the powerful, says Eduard Korsinsky at Levi & Korsinsky.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

  • Breaking Down Ill. Bellwether Case For Bank Preemption

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    The banking industry's pending lawsuit against the state of Illinois stands to permanently enjoin state regulation of bank card processing, as well as clarify the outstanding and consequential issue of whether conflict preemption continues to cover third parties in certain circumstances, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • J&J's Failed 3rd Try Casts Doubt On Use Of 'Texas Two-Step'

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    A Texas bankruptcy court recently rejected Johnson & Johnson's third attempt to use Chapter 11 to resolve liabilities from allegations of injuries from using talcum powder, suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court's limitations on nondebtor releases, from 2024's Purdue Pharma ruling, may prove difficult to evade, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

  • Series

    Teaching College Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving as an adjunct college professor has taught me the importance of building rapport, communicating effectively, and persuading individuals to critically analyze the difference between what they think and what they know — principles that have helped to improve my practice of law, says Sheria Clarke at Nelson Mullins.

  • Charging A Separate Tariff Fee May Backfire For Retailers

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    In the wake of the Trump administration's newly imposed tariffs, retailers facing significant supply chain cost increases may be considering adding a tariff fee to offset these costs, but doing so risks violating state drip pricing bans, say attorneys at Benesch.

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