Retail & E-Commerce

  • April 30, 2026

    Walmart Wins Dismissal Of Wage Suit Over Sparse Claims

    A former overnight stocker's allegations against Walmart lacked enough detail to plausibly support claims for missed breaks, unpaid overtime and other violations, a Washington federal judge ruled Thursday, tossing the worker's proposed class action.

  • April 30, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Lets Stand Walmart's Alice Win Over Q Tech Patents

    The Federal Circuit said Thursday it will not rehear arguments that Walmart infringed three content-sharing patents that were invalidated under the U.S. Supreme Court's test for assessing whether patents cover abstract subject matter.

  • April 30, 2026

    7th Circ. Backs Minimal $2K Damages In Counterfeiting Case

    The Seventh Circuit has agreed with a lower court that an online clothing retailer's minimal damages of $2,000 against a company found liable for willful counterfeiting and cybersquatting should not be boosted to $2.1 million, saying obtaining a default judgment was not enough on its own to support an increase.

  • April 30, 2026

    EU-South American Provisional Trade Deal Takes Effect Friday

    The European Union's interim trade agreement with four countries in the South American regional bloc known as Mercosur will begin to apply on a provisional basis Friday, according to news releases issued by the European Commission and members of European Parliament on Thursday.

  • April 30, 2026

    Kroger's Health Plan Tobacco Fee Shirks ERISA, Suit Says

    Supermarket giant Kroger violated federal benefits law by requiring workers to pay an extra fee through their health plan if they used tobacco while failing to give them a fair opportunity to avoid the charge, according to a proposed class action filed in Ohio federal court.

  • April 30, 2026

    CFPB Slashes Small-Biz Lender Reporting In Newly Final Rule

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday finalized a major rollback of its Biden-era rule on small-business loan data collection, sharply narrowing the scope of financial institutions and activity subject to the statutorily mandated reporting regime.

  • April 29, 2026

    Kroger Settles Gov't Claims Over Ozone-Harming Emissions

    The Kroger Company has reached a proposed settlement with the federal government that ends claims the grocery giant violated the Clean Air Act at stores nationwide, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

  • April 29, 2026

    Conagra Not Off The Hook Over '100% Whole Fish Fillets' Label

    Conagra customers can proceed with their proposed class action alleging some of the food company's fish fillets are deceptively labeled as "100% whole fish" despite containing industrial filler and extra water, after an Illinois federal judge said Wednesday the customers offer a plausible reading of the label, enough to state a claim.

  • April 29, 2026

    Del. Supreme Court Says Bylaw Suits Came Too Soon

    The Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the dismissal of stockholder lawsuits challenging advance notice bylaws adopted by The AES Corp. and Owens Corning, ruling that the claims were premature because no actual dispute over the bylaws had yet materialized.

  • April 29, 2026

    WordPress Judge Calls Deleted Message Claims 'Concerning'

    A federal magistrate judge overseeing discovery in an antitrust lawsuit against WordPress parent Automattic Inc. and its CEO Matthew Mullenweg said plaintiff WPEngine Inc. "plausibly contends" Mullenweg "deleted relevant documents or allowed such documents to be deleted after an obligation to preserve was triggered."

  • April 29, 2026

    Hanes Must Face Email Suit After State Law Declared Legal

    Hanes can't get out of a lawsuit accusing it of sending marketing emails that make untrue claims by arguing that a Washington state law banning commercial emails with false or misleading subject lines is unconstitutional, a Washington federal judge has found.

  • April 29, 2026

    Shein Escapes Claims In Brandy Melville IP Suit

    A California federal judge has tossed trademark infringement and unfair competition claims from Brandy Melville's lawsuit accusing the online ultra-fast fashion giant Shein of selling Brandy Melville copycat clothing and even using the brand's photos, ruling the Copyright Act preempts the two claims.

  • April 29, 2026

    Pepsi And Frito-Lay Want Chip-Pricing Claims Tossed

    Pepsi and Frito-Lay have asked a California federal court to toss the latest version of a case accusing them of charging small convenience stores more for chips than Walmart, Target and other chain stores, saying the retailers still fail to offer a direct comparison of specific prices.

  • April 29, 2026

    New Emails Can't Revive Adidas TM Suit, 2nd Circ. Affirms

    Attorneys for the luxury fashion brand Thom Browne Inc. did not commit misconduct when they failed to turn over four emails to Adidas during a trademark dispute, and because the documents "probably" would not have changed the verdict, the case will not be restored, the Second Circuit ruled Wednesday.

  • April 29, 2026

    Ulta Loses Bid To Toss Wash. Consumers' Spam Email Claims

    A Spokane federal judge refused to toss a proposed class action alleging cosmetics giant Ulta sent Washington residents deceptive emails advertising "free gifts" and discounts without disclosing purchase qualifications, saying the complaint plausibly alleges the emails violate state consumer protection laws.

  • April 29, 2026

    Music Cos. Must Share Social Media Deals With DSW

    Several music companies within Warner Music Group that are suing DSW over alleged improper use of their music in social media videos must turn over licensing agreements they have with social media companies, an Ohio federal judge has ordered.

  • April 29, 2026

    3 Federal Circuit Clashes To Watch In May

    The Federal Circuit's May argument slate includes appeals of invalidity decisions and sanctions tied to VLSI Technology's multibillion-dollar chip patent dispute with Intel, as well as Amazon's challenge to a cloud storage patent verdict against it for over half a billion dollars.

  • April 29, 2026

    Lender Seeks Receivership Over $8M Pot Shop Default

    A lender says a pot dispensary across from Fenway Park owes it $8 million and should be placed into receivership, the latest in a series of lawsuits against one of Massachusetts' first social equity cannabis license recipients.

  • April 29, 2026

    Mass. Judge Clears Way For Trader Joe's 401(k) Plan Trial

    A Massachusetts federal judge has denied summary judgment to Trader Joe's ahead of a Monday trial on claims that it mismanaged its employee retirement plan. 

  • April 29, 2026

    9th Circ. Reverses Stay In App Store Commissions Case

    The Ninth Circuit has reversed its own order that stayed a ruling on an injunction barring Apple from charging developers high commissions on in-app purchases until a district court judge sets up narrower guardrails, saying Epic Games had persuaded it that Apple was unlikely to get the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its appeal.

  • April 29, 2026

    Vacasa Investors Sue Over Spurned $131M Merger Bid

    Vacation rental company Vacasa is facing a proposed class action in Oregon from stockholders after accepting an acquisition bid from Casago that was $12 million lower on its face than a rival offer from Davidson Kempner Capital Management.

  • April 29, 2026

    Coupang, Ex-In-House Lawyer To Drop Iran Whistleblower Suit

    South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang and a former in-house compliance attorney have agreed to dismiss the lawyer's suit claiming he was wrongly fired for bringing attention to the company's alleged illegal business dealings with Iran, according to a joint filing Wednesday in Seattle federal court.

  • April 29, 2026

    Manager Class Cert. Denied In Convenience Store Wage Suit

    Managers accusing gas and convenience store chain Han-Dee Hugo's of wage violations cannot proceed as a class, a North Carolina federal judge ruled, finding their claims would require individualized inquiries.

  • April 29, 2026

    Dollar General Can't Kick Tobacco Fee Suit To Arbitration

    Dollar General can't kibosh a proposed class action claiming it unlawfully charged employees who use tobacco nearly $500 more per year for health benefits, with a Tennessee federal judge ruling the company hadn't properly addressed how an exclusion in its arbitration agreement applied to the case.

  • April 29, 2026

    Kansas County Atty Wants Out Of Suit Over Hemp Raids

    A county attorney in Kansas wants to be allowed out of a lawsuit filed by two vape shops that say police illegally raided their stores and seized legal hemp products, telling a federal court that the entrepreneurs haven't pointed to anything he did to harm them.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Congress Should Lead On AI Policy, Not The States

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    There needs to be some limits on how far federal agencies go in regulating artificial intelligence systems, but Congress must not abdicate its responsibility and cede control over this interstate market to state and local officials, say Kevin Frazier at the University of Texas School of Law and Adam Thierer at the R Street Institute.

  • How 2 Tech Statutes Are Being Applied To Agentic AI

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    The application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the California Invasion of Privacy Act to agentic artificial intelligence is still developing, but recent case law, like Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity in California federal court, provides some initial guidance for companies developing or deploying these technologies, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Defense Strategy Takeaways From Recent TCPA Class Actions

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    Although recent Telephone Consumer Protection Act decisions do not establish any bright-line tests for defeating predominance based on an argument that class members provided consent for the calls, certain trends have emerged that should inform defense strategies at class certification, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

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    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

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    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

  • Series

    Playing Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    An instinct to turn pain into purpose meant frequent trips to the tennis court, where learning to move ahead one point at a time was a lesson that also applied to the steep learning curve of patent prosecution law, says Daniel Henry at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Judicial Use Informs Guardrails

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    U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado discusses why having a sense of how generative AI tools behave, where they add value, where they introduce risk and how they are reshaping the practice of law is key for today's judges.

  • Evenflo IP Ruling Shows Evidence Is Still Key For Injunctions

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    Notwithstanding renewed policy and doctrinal attention to patent injunctions, the Federal Circuit's December decision in Wonderland v. Evenflo signals that the era of easily obtained patent injunctions has not yet arrived, say attorneys at King & Wood.

  • Lessons From EdTech Provider's Data Breach Settlements

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    Education technology company Illuminate Education's recent settlements with three states and the Federal Trade Commission over state privacy law claims following a student data breach are some of the first of their kind, suggesting a shift in enforcement focus to how companies handle student data and highlighting the potential for coordinated enforcement actions, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.

  • Key Sectors, Antitrust Risks In Pricing Algorithm Litigation

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    Algorithmic pricing lawsuits have proliferated in rental housing, hotels, health insurance and equipment rental industries, and companies should consider emerging risk factors when implementing business strategies this year, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief

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    My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Start A Law Firm

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    Launching and sustaining a law firm requires skills most law schools don't teach, but every lawyer should understand a few core principles that can make the leap calculated rather than reckless, says Sam Katz at Athlaw.

  • Fed. Circ. Patent Decisions In 2025: An Empirical Review

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    In 2025, the Federal Circuit's increased output was not enough to keep up with its ever-growing patent case load, and patent owners and applicants fared poorly overall as the court's affirmance rate fell, says Dan Bagatell at Perkins Coie.

  • Key False Claims Act Trends From The Last Year

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    The False Claims Act remains a powerful enforcement tool after some record verdicts and settlements in 2025, and while traditional fraud areas remain a priority, new initiatives are raising questions about its expanding application, says Veronica Nannis at Joseph Greenwald.

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