Retail & E-Commerce

  • February 22, 2024

    Deals Rumor Mill: Occidental, Kroger-Albertsons, BuzzFeed

    Occidental explores a $20 billion sale of Western Midstream, the FTC and some states could sue to block the $24.6 billion Kroger-Albertsons deal, and The Independent is taking over BuzzFeed's U.K. and Irish operations. Here, Law360 breaks down the notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • February 22, 2024

    Alaska Pot Dispensary Owner Charged With COVID Aid Fraud

    An Alaska businesswoman has been indicted on allegations that she used misrepresentations to obtain forgivable loans meant to assist small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • February 21, 2024

    Restaurant Software Co.'s $9M Investor Deal Gets 1st OK

    Shareholders in restaurant digital commerce software company Olo Inc. have received an initial green light for a $9 million deal to settle class action claims the company touted a soon-to-end partnership with fast-food chain Subway as an example of its success.

  • February 21, 2024

    Chinese Silicon Co. Says CBP Can't Back Forced Labor Finding

    A Chinese silicon producer is challenging U.S. Customs and Border Protection blocking its imports, arguing that the agency has provided no evidence to back up its finding that the company relied on forced labor.

  • February 21, 2024

    Listing Services Say Zillow Is Weaponizing Antitrust Law

    A pair of regional multiple listing services have told an Arizona federal court that Zillow is trying to use antitrust law to kill competition for its ShowingTime service, which helps real estate agents and others manage property showings.

  • February 21, 2024

    Judge Won't Strike 'Excessive' $2.3M Tobacco TM Verdict

    A federal judge in Atlanta has said he won't reduce a $2.3 million verdict against two Georgia wholesalers of cigarette rolling paper accused of selling knockoffs, saying the jury's determination on the amount of the damages is "something the court cannot second-guess."

  • February 21, 2024

    NLRB Says Home Depot Unlawfully Restricted BLM Protest

    Home Depot violated federal law by telling a worker they could not wear a Black Lives Matter slogan on their apron and directing them to remove it, the National Labor Relations Board ruled Wednesday, saying the message was connected to earlier group complaints about racism in the workplace.

  • February 21, 2024

    Nationwide Says Walmart Should Pay NY Humidifier Fire Costs

    Walmart should pay for a $165,000 blaze ignited by a humidifier it sold to a Long Island, New York, woman, Nationwide told a New York federal court Wednesday.

  • February 21, 2024

    Rite Aid Gets OK To End Former Queens Store Lease

    Rite Aid Corp. was given permission Wednesday to reject a lease and sublease for a former store in Queens, New York, after a New Jersey bankruptcy judge found that doing so would benefit the debtor's estate.

  • February 21, 2024

    Appliance Parts Maker Can Mediate Creditor Suits In Ch. 11

    A Texas bankruptcy judge on Wednesday granted an appliance components producer's request in its Chapter 11 case to engage in mediation with Invesco, a lender group and other parties to address "significant issues" tied to two lawsuits brought against the company last year.

  • February 21, 2024

    Commerce Can't Cite Wikipedia To Expand Duties, Court Says

    The U.S. Department of Commerce couldn't convince the U.S. Court of International Trade that Wikipedia articles supported its expansion of vertical engine tariffs, with a judge noting that U.S. courts have repeatedly rejected Wikipedia as a source.

  • February 21, 2024

    IMedia Gets OK For Ch. 11 Liquidation Plan

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Wednesday approved home shopping business iMedia Brands' liquidation plan after hearing objections from unsecured creditors and others had been resolved.

  • February 21, 2024

    White House Acts To Shore Up Cybersecurity At US Ports

    The Biden administration on Wednesday moved to boost cybersecurity at U.S. ports, announcing a series of actions that include new proposed rules to establish minimum data security safeguards and an executive order requiring transportation vessels and facilities to report cyber incidents.

  • February 20, 2024

    Liberal Justices Hint Chevron Deference Hanging By A Thread

    In the U.S. Supreme Court's latest battle royal over administrative powers, left-leaning justices at oral arguments Tuesday openly suggested that the landmark legal doctrine underpinning modern rulemaking might soon shrivel up, clearing the way for industry-led challenges to regulations on the books for decades.

  • February 20, 2024

    US Small Businesses Have Most To Lose From Digital Duties

    The possible demise of an international moratorium on tariffs for digital products, including software and media downloads, could cut into small businesses' profits and create compliance burdens for the companies that survive.

  • February 20, 2024

    Chicago Sues Oil Giants, Alleging Climate Change Deception

    The city of Chicago hit BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Shell and the oil and gas industry's largest trade association with a lawsuit Tuesday, alleging their involvement in a decadeslong "campaign of deception" to increase consumption of fossil fuels to boost profits, despite their knowledge that their products cause environmental harm.

  • February 20, 2024

    Apple Asks For Discovery Pause During Class Cert. Appeal

    Apple is urging a California federal judge to halt discovery in a sweeping App Store antitrust suit while the company appeals the class certification granted earlier this month.

  • February 20, 2024

    Calif. Tribe Looks To Undo Tobacco Noncompliance Listing

    The Twenty-Nine Palms of Mission Indians is suing the U.S. government in California federal court over its decision to place the tribe on a "non-compliant list" under a law that targets illegal tobacco trafficking, arguing that its operations comply with all applicable state laws.

  • February 20, 2024

    Walgreens Defeats $200M Investor Suit Over Insulin Billing

    A Delaware vice chancellor has thrown out a stockholder derivative suit accusing Walgreens directors of ignoring an alleged scheme in which insulin pen prescriptions were overfilled and the government overbilled, ruling that the investors haven't shown that the company's top brass acted in bad faith.

  • February 20, 2024

    FinCEN Details Owner Data Access Rules For Small Banks

    The U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network on Tuesday released a compliance guide for small financial firms on accessing and safeguarding company ownership information that their customers are required to report under recently implemented rules.

  • February 20, 2024

    Tenn. Jury Sides With Cops Over Raids On Legal CBD Shops

    A Tennessee federal jury rejected claims that a county and local law enforcement engaged in a conspiracy to violate a CBD shop owner's civil rights by raiding and shuttering his and others' stores, despite allegedly knowing that the products he sold were legal under both state and federal law.

  • February 20, 2024

    WTO Says Revised Duties On Spanish Olives Still Out Of Line

    The World Trade Organization called on the U.S. to fix revised countervailing duties on Spanish olives, ruling Tuesday that the duties are still not in compliance with its 2021 decision rejecting the investigation that resulted in the tariffs.

  • February 20, 2024

    Skipped Hearing Sinks Conn. Pot Store Fight, Court Told  

    A lawsuit seeking to revoke the approval of a cannabis retail permit in Stamford, Connecticut, cannot proceed because a coalition of anti-pot taxpayers followed the wrong process by skipping a public hearing and suing instead, the city's counsel told a state judge during an oral argument on Tuesday.

  • February 20, 2024

    DOJ Could See The Bright Side Of $35.3B Capital One Deal

    Despite the sticker shock of Capital One's $35.3 billion deal to acquire Discover Financial Services, experts believe it will ultimately be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice, which for years has placed its antitrust microscope over the larger players in the credit card space. 

  • February 20, 2024

    Mich. Township Must Face Winery Wedding Ban Suit

    A Michigan federal judge has said he won't dismiss wineries' challenge to a Michigan town's rules limiting their ability to host weddings and other events, saying it would be "unwise" to toss the lawsuit because the wineries are still allegedly experiencing harm from the ordinance.

Expert Analysis

  • Cannabis Plain Packaging Rules: Examples And Opportunities

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    States that have legalized adult-use cannabis in recent years have adopted stringent requirements for product packaging and labeling in an effort to protect minors, and these rules may provide a vehicle for compromise between proponents and opponents of legalization, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Where Biden's Outbound Investment Effort May Be Headed

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    The president’s recent executive order on outbound investment describes prohibited transactions and a notification process, but the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s actions suggest upcoming regulations will leave investors with the risky determination of whether investments are prohibited or require notification, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Cos. Can Comply With China's Cybersecurity Rules

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    The Chinese cybersecurity regulator’s recently imposed restrictions on Micron and newly effective enforcement procedures mark a new era of privacy regulation in the country, so multinational companies with operations there should ensure their compliance programs are updated accordingly, say Lorna Chen and Jieni Ji at Shearman.

  • Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention

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    As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.

  • What Advertisers Must Know About New Endorsement Guides

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    The Federal Trade Commission's updated Endorsement Guides clarify some regulatory ambiguities in the ever-changing advertising landscape and stress that advertisers can be held liable for misleading statements made by their endorsers, even if the endorser is not held liable themselves, say Matthew Savare and Bryan Sterba at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Opinion

    3 Principles Should Guide MTC's Digital Products Tax Work

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    As the Multistate Tax Commission's project to harmonize sales tax on digital products moves forward, three key principles will help the commission's work group arrive at unambiguous definitions and help states avoid unintended costs, say Charles Kearns and Jeffrey Friedman at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Hot OSHA Summer: Regulatory Activity In Full Swing

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    Recent actions by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration — including changes to its injury and illness reporting rule, its proposal to allow nonemployee union reps to accompany OSHA inspectors, and a hazard alert on extreme heat — show that the agency's regulatory and enforcement regime remains vigorous, says Heather MacDougall at Morgan Lewis.

  • 5th Circ. Ruling Will Spur Challenges To No-Action Letters

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent Clarke v. U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission decision that withdrawing no-action letters constitutes a final agency action subject to judicial review means federal agencies should expect more challenges to the practice, which has been criticized for failing to provide clear standards and enabling agencies to change course abruptly, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • What Justices' Pork Ruling Means For Interstate Cannabis

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent National Pork v. Ross ruling added a new wrinkle to dormant commerce clause jurisprudence as the nation’s federal courts grapple with a novel paradox raised by interstate cannabis commerce, and pending appellate cases may shed additional light on these issues later this year, say Tommy Tobin and Andrew Kline at Perkins Coie.

  • Serta Simmons Ch. 11 Expands Split On Credit Agreements

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    The recent confirmation of Serta Simmons' Chapter 11 plan by a Texas bankruptcy court judge furthers a split in case law between narrow interpretation of credit agreement provisions and a more holistic approach focused on the practical effect of the uptiering transaction on minority lender rights, say attorneys at Schulte Roth.

  • In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development

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    As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • SEC Focus On Perks Offers Insights On Cooperation

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent settlement with Stanley Black & Decker is the latest example of the SEC's continued focus on executive perquisites and highlights what type of cooperation may be required to avoid a civil money penalty, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Rights Owners Can Be Proactive With CBP Enforcement

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    Recent seizures show that intellectual property rights remain a U.S. Customs and Border Protection priority, and the Intellectual Property Rights Branch recordation program and the Exclusion Order Enforcement Branch's procedures offer holders powerful ways to assist in keeping unauthorized goods out of the U.S. market, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Perspectives

    A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

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    Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

  • Why Privacy And Trade Secret Law Are On A Collision Course

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    The conflict between the legal regimes of trade secret law and data privacy law is growing as companies increasingly collect and use data about their customers, making it key for organizations to find ways to comply with both laws in order to protect their intellectual property and the privacy of their customer, says Jenny Colgate at Rothwell Figg.

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