Retail & E-Commerce

  • May 10, 2024

    Toymaker KidKraft Files Ch. 11 With Plan To Sell Assets

    Dallas toy company KidKraft Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Texas bankruptcy court Friday with more than $100 million in debt, blaming economic headwinds and saying it has a prepackaged sale plan.

  • May 09, 2024

    Amazon Shakes Wash. Suit Premised On Calif. Wiretap Claims

    A Washington federal judge has tossed a putative class action accusing Amazon.com Inc. of unlawfully recording chat conversations with consumers, finding that the plaintiff couldn't sustain a suit containing only California claims because the e-commerce giant's usage agreement makes clear that Washington law governs such disputes. 

  • May 09, 2024

    FTC Urges High Court To Reject Challenge To $5.2M Award

    The Federal Trade Commission has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a credit monitoring company's challenge to a $5.2 million refund award the federal agency won on behalf of a class of consumers, arguing the award is authorized under the Federal Trade Commission Act. 

  • May 09, 2024

    Amazon, Walmart Face Dem Questions Over 'Dynamic Pricing'

    Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown on Thursday raised concerns to Amazon and Walmart about corporations hiking prices by exploiting customer data and pricing algorithms, saying it undermines consumers' ability to comparison shop and save money.

  • May 09, 2024

    Walmart Slips Out Of $1.3M Judgment In Icy Slip-And-Fall Suit

    A New Jersey state appeals court overturned a jury verdict and $1.3 million judgment awarded to a woman who slipped and fell at a Walmart parking lot, saying the trial judge was required to tell the jury about the state high court's ongoing storm rule.

  • May 09, 2024

    FTC Says Handbag Cos. Have Info Needed To Defend $8B Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission assailed Tapestry and Capri on Wednesday for demanding more details on the market allegedly threatened by their planned $8.5 billion merger, which would pair the parent company of Coach and Kate Spade with that of Versace and Michael Kors, arguing the firms have the information they need.

  • May 09, 2024

    Nintendo Gets Switch Suit Stay Pending Patent Review

    A Seattle federal judge agreed Thursday that Nintendo could pause an intellectual property suit against it while it seeks to challenge the validity of the patents at issue, saying the plaintiff could not now complain about delays since it waited six years to file its complaint.

  • May 09, 2024

    Skadden-Led Firm Nets $250M In May's Second SPAC Listing

    GP-Act III Acquisition Corp., a Skadden-led special-purpose acquisition company backed by multiple private investment firms, began trading on Thursday after completing a $250 million initial public offering, marking the second SPAC listing this month in an otherwise battered market.

  • May 09, 2024

    Tablet Co. Wins China Duty Refund, Loses On Tariff Heading

    A digital writing tablet company will recoup the bulk of tariffs it paid under the Section 301 duty program to import its goods after the U.S. Court of International Trade rejected its preferred tariff classification Thursday.

  • May 09, 2024

    Solar Co. Wins Remand Of Feds' 'Contrary To Law' Duties

    The U.S. Court of International Trade has published opposing outcomes for two Chinese solar cell producers penalized in a recent duty review, affirming duties topping 238% for one and directing the government to reconsider a 12.24% rate for the other.

  • May 09, 2024

    Wisconsin Co., Hong Kong Biz To Drop Cup Holder IP Dispute

    A Wisconsin business and a Hong Kong furniture maker are looking to end their long-winding patent and trade dress dispute over cup holders, years after a jury handed the Badger State company a $100 million award that was later significantly reduced by the court.

  • May 09, 2024

    Hermes Seeks Exit From Antitrust Suit Over Birkin Bag Sales

    Hermès urged a California federal judge on Thursday to toss an antitrust class action accusing the luxury fashion retailer of tying the sale of its iconic Birkin and Kelly handbags to other items, saying the plaintiffs' assertion that the handbags constitute their own market minimizes the "fierce competition" across the luxury goods industry.

  • May 09, 2024

    Chicken Farmers Win Cert. Of 24K Class In No-Poach Suit

    An Oklahoma federal judge has certified a class of more than 24,000 broiler chicken farmers accusing Pilgrim's Pride of conspiring with others to suppress grower compensation through no-poach agreements, noting the plaintiffs provided direct and circumstantial evidence to show the existence of an antitrust conspiracy affecting all farmers.

  • May 09, 2024

    Caremark Can Seek Arb. In Oklahoma Tribe's Prescription Suit

    An Oklahoma federal court judge has paused a dispute between the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Caremark LLC until the pharmaceutical company can resolve a bid to compel the tribe into arbitration in an Arizona court over unpaid reimbursement claims.

  • May 09, 2024

    Plumbing Co. Owner Cops To Tax Scheme Tied To Gold Bars

    The co-owner of a Boston plumbing supply company pled guilty Thursday to underreporting his business and personal income, after prosecutors said he plowed some of the unreported receipts into $10 million worth of gold and silver bars.

  • May 09, 2024

    Plumbing Co. Ignoring OT Precedent, 1st Circ. Judge Chides

    A First Circuit judge said Thursday that a plumbing supply distributor arguing that its inside sales representatives don't qualify for overtime pay appears to be "running as fast as you can to get away" from a key recent precedent.

  • May 09, 2024

    Man Says LG Chem Can't Duck NC Courts In Battery Suit

    A man suing South Korea-based LG Chem Ltd. over an exploding lithium-ion battery is urging a North Carolina federal district court to find that it has jurisdiction over the company, saying LG has sufficient ties to the state through its marketing and selling of the batteries, even if it doesn't sell directly to customers.

  • May 09, 2024

    Texas Judge Slashes Nike Atty Fee Request In Trademark Suit

    A Texas federal judge was not convinced Nike's attorneys and staff spent more than 750 hours to defend a trademark infringement suit brought by a digital creator, awarding them $25,000 instead of the $570,000 in attorney fees the company requested.

  • May 09, 2024

    4th Circ. Mulls Scope Of Farm Bill In Virginia Hemp Fight

    A Fourth Circuit panel on Thursday pushed attorneys for the state of Virginia and a group of hemp companies and customers to define precisely how much power states have to restrict the production and sale of intoxicating products derived from federally legal hemp.

  • May 09, 2024

    Nike Denied Nursing Workers Lactation Spaces, Suit Says

    Nike failed to provide nursing employees with adequate breaks or spaces to express breast milk and told a manager that she was setting a bad example for her team when she asked to pump milk outside of her scheduled breaks, a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County superior court said.

  • May 09, 2024

    Deals Rumor Mill: Paramount, Peloton, International Paper

    Sony and Apollo plan to break up Paramount if their $26 billion bid prevails, private equity firms are eyeing a Peloton buyout, and International Paper gets a $15 billion bid from Brazil's Suzano. Here, Law360 breaks down the notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • May 09, 2024

    Sam Ash Music Hits Ch. 11, Plans To End 100-Year Retail Run

    Sam Ash Music, a 100-year-old music instrument retailer, filed for Chapter 11 protection in New Jersey bankruptcy court with up to $500 million in debt and plans to close its 42 stores in the U.S., citing weakened sales as customers shifted to online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • May 08, 2024

    Kroger Must Keep Fighting Metal-Tainted Baby Food Claims

    An Ohio federal judge Wednesday refused to throw out a proposed class action accusing the Kroger Co. and its subsidiaries of selling baby food tainted with toxic metals, ruling that the mothers who sued have plausibly alleged that they wouldn't have purchased the product had they known the truth.

  • May 08, 2024

    Amazon Seeks To Ax $525M Verdict Over Data Storage Patents

    Amazon asked an Illinois federal judge Wednesday to throw out a jury's verdict that the e-commerce giant owes $525 million for infringing three of Kove IO's patents relating to cloud data storage technology, saying the Chicago software company didn't actually prove infringement.

  • May 08, 2024

    Apple Judge Skeptical Tech Giant Complying With Epic Order

    The California federal judge overseeing Epic's antitrust suit against Apple reacted skeptically Wednesday to an Apple executive's claim that it has fully complied with her order aimed at allowing app developers to send users to outside payment platforms, saying some of Apple's new rules appear to "stifle competition."

Expert Analysis

  • Rite Aid's Reasons For Ch. 11 Go Beyond Opioid Suits

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    Despite opioid-related lawsuits being the perceived reason that pushed Rite Aid into bankruptcy, the company's recent Chapter 11 filing reveals its tenuous position in the pharmaceutical retail market, and only time will tell whether bankruptcy will right-size the company, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Considerations For Navigating Mixed-Use Developments

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    As mixed-use developments continue to rise in popularity, developers considering this approach to urban planning must be aware of key considerations ranging from title and zoning laws to proper engagement with stakeholders, says Mehdi Sinaki at Michelman & Robinson.

  • What Can Be Learned From 3M's Iran Sanctions Settlement

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    3M’s recent agreement to pay $9.6 million to resolve potential liability for violation of Iran sanctions provides insight on the complexity of U.S. sanctions compliance, the duration of enforcement actions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the benefits and potential drawbacks of voluntary disclosure, says Thaddeus McBride at Bass Berry.

  • Safe-Harbor Period Change Could Hinder TCPA Compliance

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    A proposed rule change under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission would require businesses to honor do-not-call requests within 24 hours of receipt for calls and texts that are subject to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and companies have already called it unreasonable, say Aaron Weiss and Danny Enjamio at Carlton Fields.

  • Cos. Must Address Growing Chatbot Class Action Risk

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    Following a new wave of chatbot-related consumer data privacy litigation and expanding compliance obligations created by state legislatures, businesses using such technology face a high-risk environment for wiretapping allegations, with inconsistent court rulings to date and uncertain legal holdings ahead, say attorneys at Pierce Atwood.

  • Regulatory Shift May Offer Lifeline To NY's Cannabis Industry

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    Recent developments may help to open up the regulatory log jam and increase the number of licensed dispensaries in New York state, and can eventually allow the licensed cannabis market to win out over unlicensed dispensaries, say attorneys at Davis+Gilbert.

  • Co. Directors Must Beware Dangers Of Reverse Factoring

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    New accounting requirements governing the disclosure of so-called reverse-factoring programs have revealed billions of dollars worth of hidden liabilities on companies’ ledgers, and directors of corporate boards should review their companies’ books for this hidden danger, say Garland Kelley at Looper Goodwine, Amin Al-Sarraf at Locke Lord and Jill Basinger at Discovery Land.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Analyzing The Legal Ripples Of The EPA's PFAS Regulation

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    As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency makes major moves on its pledge to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the developing body of PFAS regulation will lead to an increase in litigation, and personal injury and product liability claims, say attorneys at Gordon & Rees.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: The UK

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    Following Brexit, the U.K. has adopted a different approach to regulating environmental, social and governance factors from the European Union — an approach that focuses on climate disclosures by U.K.-regulated entities, while steering clear of the more ambitious objectives pursued by the EU, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.

  • New Initiatives Will Advance Corporate Biodiversity Reporting

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    Two important recent developments — the launch of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures' framework on nature and biodiversity reporting, and Nature Action 100's announcement of the 100 companies it plans to engage on biodiversity issues — will help bring biodiversity disclosures into the mainstream, say David Woodcock and Maria Banda at Gibson Dunn.

  • Class Action Defense: Don't Give Up On Bristol-Myers Squibb

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    Federal appellate court decisions in the six years since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Bristol-Myers Squibb show that it's anyone's ballgame in class action jurisdictional arguments, so defendants are encouraged to consider carefully whether, where and when arguing lack of specific personal jurisdiction may be advantageous, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

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