Retail & E-Commerce

  • May 21, 2024

    Pacific Seafood Beats Crab Price-Fixing Claims, For Now

    A California federal magistrate judge on Tuesday dismissed a proposed class action claiming Pacific Seafood fixed the price paid to fishers for Dungeness crab in the Pacific Northwest but will allow the fisherman who filed the suit the opportunity to amend most of his claims.

  • May 21, 2024

    Bungie's Code Copying Claims Questioned At Seattle Trial

    A top product security engineer at Bungie told a Seattle federal jury on Tuesday that a hacker accused of exploiting a popular game to make cheat software likely never had access to the game's source code and acknowledged the game company hasn't seen the cheat code that it claims amounts to copyright infringement.

  • May 21, 2024

    Calif. Justices Doubt App-Based Drivers' Prop 22 Challenge

    Several California Supreme Court justices pushed back Tuesday against arguments by ride-hailing drivers that the Proposition 22 ballot measure carving out certain app-based workers from a worker classification law unconstitutionally runs afoul of the Legislature's authority, with one justice saying their position could "freeze out" voter-approved initiatives.

  • May 21, 2024

    California Atty Takes Aim At Rhode Island Cannabis Program

    A California lawyer who has challenged state and local cannabis licensure programs across the country is accusing Rhode Island marijuana regulators of designing a plan to award cannabis retail licenses that unconstitutionally discriminates against out-of-state players.

  • May 21, 2024

    Wawa, Sherwin-Williams Beat Paint Slip-And-Fall Suit

    Gas station chain Wawa Inc. and paint maker Sherwin-Williams Co. can't be held liable for injuries a New Jersey man sustained after slipping on a yellow parking lot line, a state appeals court ruled, calling the plaintiff's expert report "speculative and unsupported" by the facts.

  • May 21, 2024

    Eye Drops Must Sell On Even Terms Under Rare Antitrust Win

    A California federal judge cemented a rare win under a little-used antitrust law, following up on a December jury verdict against an eye drops company with a decision barring it from offering Costco better terms than the retail wholesaler plaintiffs.

  • May 21, 2024

    Molson Coors' Mimosas More Water Than Wine, Suit Says

    Two consumers hit Molson Coors Beverage Co. with a proposed class action Monday in Missouri federal court, alleging that the company's mimosa drinks are misbranded because they are not made with sparkling wine but rather made with sparkling water and sugar and contain only small amounts of orange juice.

  • May 21, 2024

    Texas Court Questions Luxottica On 'Playing Favorites' In Sale

    A Texas appellate court on Tuesday asked whether an eyewear conglomerate was "playing favorites by not disclosing" alleged fraud by its franchisees in a sale of two stores to other franchisees, questioning Luxottica's assertion it had to keep its hands off the transaction.

  • May 21, 2024

    Groups Push For Official USMCA Interpretation To Nix Claims

    Nearly three dozen left-leaning groups are urging North American trade officials to issue an official interpretation of a disputed provision in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which they say could help nix claims seeking billions of dollars that are pending against all three countries.

  • May 21, 2024

    Apple Tees Up Bid To Toss DOJ IPhone Monopoly Suit

    Apple argued that it has the right to choose how it does business in a preview Tuesday of its upcoming explanations for why a New Jersey federal judge should dismiss the Justice Department lawsuit accusing the iPhone maker of restricting third-party app access to monopolize the smartphone market.

  • May 21, 2024

    CohnReznick Adds PwC Partner To International Tax Practice

    CohnReznick has a new principal in its international tax practice who previously served as a partner at PwC, the firm announced.

  • May 21, 2024

    FTC Chair Khan Says Corporate Concentration Creates Fear

    Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan said Tuesday that corporate concentration creates fear for many Americans, including small businesses that rely on digital gatekeepers like Google and Amazon.

  • May 21, 2024

    22 States Tell 11th Circ. Corp. Transparency Act Goes Too Far

    The federal Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutionally displaces state authority and its enforcement would economically harm states and their residents, attorneys general from 22 states told the Eleventh Circuit, urging it to uphold a ruling that struck down the law.

  • May 21, 2024

    Tuna Buyers Seeking $1B In July Price-Fixing Trial

    Tuna buyers who are taking StarKist, its parent company and a private investment firm that put money into Bumble Bee Foods to trial on allegations of conspiring to hike the price of the tinned fish will be asking for over $1 billion in damages once all is said and done.

  • May 21, 2024

    Feds Say Importer Can Get Domestic Steel, Instead Of Duty Relief

    The U.S. Department of Commerce defended its refusal to exempt a steel company from potentially millions of dollars worth of national security tariffs, saying it was swayed by evidence that the company could source materials domestically.

  • May 21, 2024

    Martha's Vineyard Pot Shop Battles State Transportation Rules

    A shuttered Martha's Vineyard cannabis dispensary said Tuesday that Massachusetts regulators are overreaching by banning the transport of marijuana over state territorial waters, arguing that the move has threatened permanent closure for the island's only retail location and a return to illicit sales during the impending summer vacation season.

  • May 21, 2024

    Indonesian Mattress Cos. Say Duties Are Based On Irrelevant Info

    Indonesian mattress producers called on the U.S. Court of International Trade to unwind anti-dumping tariffs that they claim were based on financial information from a company with completely dissimilar operations.

  • May 21, 2024

    Fanatics Atty Rejoins Cleary As Debt Finance Partner

    An in-house attorney for global sports enterprise Fanatics Holdings Inc. is returning to private practice at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he began his legal career.

  • May 21, 2024

    Altria Unit Fights Bids To Toss Illegal Vape Sale Suit

    Altria Group Inc. subsidiary NJOY LLC is fighting a pair of bids to dismiss its suit seeking to block illegal sales of flavored vapes, saying it has shown both how it has been harmed by their sale and how preventing the sales would redress its injuries.

  • May 21, 2024

    Strategic Hiring Was The New Normal For BigLaw In 2023

    The 400 largest law firms by headcount in the U.S. grew more slowly in 2023 than in the previous two years, while Kirkland & Ellis LLP surpassed the 3,000-attorney threshold, according to the latest Law360 ranking.

  • May 21, 2024

    The Law360 400: Tracking The Largest US Law Firms

    The legal market expanded more tentatively in 2023 than in previous years amid a slowdown in demand for legal services, especially in transactions, an area that has been sluggish but is expected to quicken in the near future.

  • May 21, 2024

    Skadden Reps MasterBrand On $520M Supreme Cabinetry Buy

    Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP is guiding Ohio-based cabinetry company MasterBrand Inc. on a newly inked plan to buy Minnesota-based competitor Supreme Cabinetry Brands Inc. from private equity firm GHK Capital Partners LP for $520 million, MasterBrand said in a Tuesday statement.

  • May 20, 2024

    Kraft Hit With False Ad Suit Over Citric Acid In Mac & Cheese

    The Kraft Heinz Food Co. was hit with a proposed class action by a customer who alleges that the company falsely labels its Kraft Mac & Cheese products as containing no preservatives despite citric acid being part of the ingredients list.

  • May 20, 2024

    Alibaba Resists Class Cert. Over Failed Ant Group IPO

    Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba has again urged a New York federal judge not to certify a class of investors who claim they weren't warned about regulatory risks Alibaba faced in the lead-up to a $34 billion initial public offering of its fintech affiliate, saying the suit's challenged misstatements did not affect Alibaba's stock price.

  • May 20, 2024

    Fla. Pet Store Wins $53K Atty Fee Award In Explicit Video Suit

    A Florida state court judge has awarded the operators of a pet store nearly $53,000 in attorney fees defending against a lawsuit over sexual harassment and gender discrimination after a manager allegedly showed a video of his genitalia to an underage female employee while on the job.

Expert Analysis

  • Ex-OpenSea Staffer Case May Clarify When Info Is Property

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    In considering the appeal of a former OpenSea manager’s wire fraud conviction in U.S. v. Chastain, the Second Circuit may soon provide guidance about whether economic information is traditional property in certain insider trading prosecutions — a theory of fraud that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly narrowed, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Unraveling The Bundled Benefits Of Retail Memberships

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    The recent prevalence of paid retail memberships and the associated findings of a consumer survey suggest that assessing consumer preferences and welfare may be important when considering resolution mechanisms in antitrust contexts, say Rosa M. Abrantes-Metz at Berkeley Research Group, Mame Maloney at The Brattle Group and Jeff Brazell at the University of Utah.

  • Opinion

    Stakeholder Amici Should Be Heard In Russian Trade Case

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    Although the U.S. Court of International Trade recently rejected U.S. Steel's amicus brief in NLMK Pennsylvania v. U.S., other industry stakeholders should seek to appear — and the court should allow it because additional perspectives will lead to a more informed ruling, say attorneys Jeffrey Shapiro and Michael Andrews.

  • Workplace Speech Policies Limit Legal And PR Risks

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    As workers increasingly speak out on controversies like the 2024 elections and the Israel-Hamas war, companies should implement practical workplace expression policies and plans to protect their brands and mitigate the risk of violating federal and state anti-discrimination and free speech laws, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • US Cos. Must Guard Against Russian Diversion Of Goods

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    Amid allegations that Russia is end-running trade sanctions through the diversion of otherwise innocuous, everyday goods, U.S. industry involved in the manufacture or distribution of electric products must step up its customer and partner due diligence to avoid unwittingly facilitating the weapons proliferation cycle, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Staying Ahead Of The AI Policymaking Curve

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    With artificial intelligence poised to be the hottest legislative and regulatory topic in 2024, expect the AI policymaking toolbox to continue to expand and evolve as stakeholders in the U.S. and abroad develop, deploy, use and learn more about these technologies, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • 10 Years Of Retail Battles: Unpacking Pricing Litigation Trends

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    A close look at a decade of pricing class actions against retailers reveals evolving trends, plaintiffs bar strategies, and the effects of significant court decisions across states, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success

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    Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.

  • What Cos. Can Learn From 2023 Export Enforcement Report

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    A January report summarizing key actions and policy changes undertaken at the Office of Export Enforcement in 2023 is a valuable indicator of future government priorities and the factors companies should consider as they conduct export operations amid what may be a turbulent international trading environment in 2024, says Thaddeus McBride at Bass Berry.

  • How Consumer Product Cos. Can Keep Up With Class Actions

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    Recent cases show California's federal courts and the Ninth Circuit remain the preferred arena for consumers pursuing false advertising and trade deception claims against companies — so manufacturers, distributors and retailers of consumer products should continue to watch these courts for guidance on how to fight class actions, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Competing In Triathlons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While practicing law and competing in long-distance triathlons can make work and life feel unbalanced at times, participating in the sport has revealed important lessons about versatility, self-care and perseverance that apply to the office as much as they do the racecourse, says Laura Heusel at Butler Snow.

  • OCC Guidance May Lead Off 'Buy Now, Pay Later' Regulations

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    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's bulletin released last month to assist national and federal savings banks with managing the risks posed by "buy now, pay later" lending may be the start of increased state legislation or guidance specifically aimed at regulating such loans, say Susan Seaman and Jacob Huston at Husch Blackwell.

  • Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument

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    Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.

  • How States Vary On The Fireman's Rule And Its Applicability

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    A recent decision by the Indiana Court of Appeals, reviving a firefighter’s suit, is illustrative of changes in the application and interpretation by state courts and legislatures of the Fireman’s Rule, which bans first responders from recovering for injuries sustained on the job, says Shea Feagin at Swift Currie.

  • Perspectives

    6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice

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    An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.

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