Retail & E-Commerce

  • March 22, 2024

    Amazon, Apple Say Antitrust Attys Can't Ditch 'Fatal' Class Rep

    Amazon and Apple say plaintiffs' counsel in a proposed antitrust suit should be stuck with their class representative, who apparently ghosted his attorneys, arguing the lawyers should have to live with a plaintiff whose purchasing habits undercut the suit's very premise.

  • March 22, 2024

    Floral Co. Pays Feds $2M To End Migrant Exploitation Action

    A Washington floral wreath and garland manufacturer will pay $1.9 million to close a U.S. Department of Labor probe into allegations that it underpaid and withheld safe housing and transportation from hundreds of temporary migrant workers.

  • March 22, 2024

    Google Loses New Trial Bid After Epic Games' Antitrust Win

    A California federal judge denied Google LLC's bid for a new trial and teed up for a May hearing on a possible court-ordered injunction against the tech giant, following Epic Games' jury win on antitrust claims related to Google Play Store and Android apps.

  • March 22, 2024

    5th Circ. Axes EPA's PFAS Enforcement Against Plastic Co.

    The Fifth Circuit threw out two enforcement actions against a Texas plastic-container manufacturer that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accused of creating perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in its manufacturing process, saying the agency exceeded its statutory authority.

  • March 22, 2024

    Firearms Co. Agrees To Dissolve Amid Conn. 'Ghost Gun' Suit

    One of four firearms companies that the Connecticut attorney general sued in 2023 over the online sale of "ghost gun" parts has stopped operating and agreed to dissolve, according to a stipulated judgment that would release Florida-based Steel Fox Firearms Inc. from the litigation.

  • March 22, 2024

    US Antitrust Enforcers Keep Big Tech Cases Coming

    A backlash against powerful tech companies is reaching a fever pitch in the U.S., as enforcers with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission now have pending lawsuits accusing Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta of monopolizing key digital markets.

  • March 22, 2024

    5th Circ. Asked For Do-Over In Hurricane Coverage Feud

    The owners of a New Orleans apartment complex urged the Fifth Circuit to rethink ordering them to arbitrate Hurricane Ida damage claims under New York law, arguing New York's choice-of-law clause would ordinarily be unenforceable under Louisiana law if it weren't couched within the arbitration provision.

  • March 22, 2024

    Dollar General Can't Nix $1.48M Slip-And-Fall Verdict

    A Florida appeals panel on Friday affirmed a $1.48 million slip-and-fall verdict against Dollar General, saying the company "falls far short" of showing that there was no evidence it was aware of water on the floor after bringing a pair of carts in from the rain.

  • March 22, 2024

    Pot Co. Investor Gets Colo. Contract Breach Suit Revived

    A Colorado appeals court has revived an investor's suit alleging that the head of a six-company cannabis enterprise failed to pay out as agreed, finding the trial court was wrong to find the investor did not have a legally protected interest in the enterprise.

  • March 22, 2024

    Trade Court Clears Feds' Voluntary Solar Cell Duty Reduction

    The U.S. Court of International Trade has cleared the U.S. Department of Commerce's decision to voluntarily reduce countervailing duties on Chinese solar cells, accepting trade officials' new method of calculating importers' ocean freight costs.

  • March 22, 2024

    Supermarket Chain Can't Flush Class Suit Over Wipes

    A federal judge on Friday declined to toss a Massachusetts man's proposed class action against Stop & Shop that accused the supermarket chain of falsely marketing its store-brand cleansing wipes as "flushable."

  • March 22, 2024

    Chancery Denies Midcase Appeal In TripAdvisor Dispute

    The Delaware judge who gave TripAdvisor Inc. the go-ahead to convert its corporate home to Nevada while upholding most of a shareholder lawsuit challenging the proposed move has refused to certify a midcase appeal of his ruling, despite what he called "disproportionate media attention" about companies fleeing Delaware.

  • March 22, 2024

    Walmart OT Suit 'Just Barely' Gets Collective Cert.

    Workers claiming that Walmart and a related entity misclassified them as salaried employees exempt from overtime "just barely" met the requirements to move forward as a collective, a Colorado federal judge ruled Friday.

  • March 22, 2024

    Commerce Lifts Block On Transnational Subsidy Probes

    The U.S. Department of Commerce erased a nearly 40-year-old regulation on Friday so it can impose countervailing duties on subsidies China provides its trade partners, despite opposition from foreign governments that the move would conflict with World Trade Organization obligations.

  • March 22, 2024

    Albright Denies Salesforce Bid For Patent Sanctions

    Salesforce.com Inc. waited too long to pursue sanctions against a prolific patent litigator who already voluntarily dismissed claims brought in a federal suit in Texas, U.S. District Judge Alan D. Albright has ruled, agreeing with a magistrate judge's report and recommendation to toss the sanctions bid.

  • March 22, 2024

    Del. Courts Examining 'Colonoscopy'-Like Bylaw Rules

    Invasive advance-notice bylaws that some observers say make shareholder board nominations as intrusive as a "colonoscopy" are reviving old questions in Delaware courts about how far boards can go to protect themselves against shareholder activism.

  • March 22, 2024

    Galderma Starts Trading In Switzerland After Pricing IPO

    Private equity-backed Swiss skincare company Galderma Group AG began trading publicly Friday after pricing its $2.4 billion initial public offering, marking the next stage of its growth trajectory.

  • March 21, 2024

    Burford, Sysco Get OK To Swap Bid In Price-Fixing Cases

    An Illinois federal judge on Thursday agreed to allow an affiliate of legal investment firm Burford Capital to substitute for food giant Sysco in price-fixing litigation against broiler chicken producers, a ruling that comes a month after a Minnesota federal judge refused to allow the same Burford unit to substitute for Sysco in similar pork and beef price-fixing litigation.

  • March 21, 2024

    Fossil Knew About Harassment, Texas Supreme Court Hears

    Fossil Group Inc. contends that it didn't know about workplace sexual harassment happening at a Texas store, but Texas Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical of the company's argument that the victim didn't notify the company, even though she alleges she sent an email about the harassment.

  • March 21, 2024

    5th Circ. Backs FDA's Vivid Warnings Of Cigarette Dangers

    Government mandated text warnings and graphic images on cigarette packs to advertise the health risks of smoking do not violate the free speech rights of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and other cigarette manufacturers, the Fifth Circuit ruled Thursday, saying the warnings are "factual and uncontroversial" and pass constitutional muster.

  • March 21, 2024

    CFPB Wants Late-Fee Suit In DC As Judge Notes Busy Docket

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday asked a Texas federal judge to move a challenge to its new credit card late-fee rule to a Washington, D.C., federal court, a day after the court denied a bid for an immediate injunction brought by a trade group coalition suing to overturn the rule.

  • March 21, 2024

    'Sit Down!' DC Judge Snaps At Atty Over False Ad Defense

    Oral arguments over footwear nearly got an attorney kicked out of court Thursday, as a D.C. federal judge told a defense counselor to "Sit down!" for making "snide remarks" before ultimately denying most of his motion to dismiss a Federal Trade Commission suit alleging deceptive advertising.

  • March 21, 2024

    4 Things To Know About DOJ's Apple Antitrust Showdown

    As Apple prepares to fight state and federal prosecutors' monopoly claims filed Thursday, consumer advocates say it's high time allegations that the company stifles competition in the smartphone and app markets be taken to court, but Apple warns that a win for the government would harm its users.

  • March 21, 2024

    Microsoft, Meta, Others Say Apple Violating Court Order

    Major developers including Microsoft, Meta Platforms and Spotify have told a California federal court that Apple is not complying with an order secured by Epic Games barring Apple's use of anti-steering rules in the App Store.

  • March 21, 2024

    UN Cautiously Optimistic For Trade 'Rebound' This Year

    Global trade in both goods and services was up in the first quarter of 2024, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development reported Thursday, forecasting a "rebound" this year after a difficult 2023.

Expert Analysis

  • As AI Pricing Tools Evolve, So Does Antitrust Risk

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    As the use of pricing algorithms has given rise to regulatory scrutiny and civil actions, such as RealPage Rental Software Antitrust Litigation in the Middle District of Tennessee and Gibson v. MGM in the District of Nevada, independent pricing decisions and other best practices can help limit antitrust risk, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • Preparing Your Legal Department For Pillar 2 Compliance

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    Multinational entities should familiarize themselves with Pillar Two of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s BEPs 2.0 project and prepare their internal legal tracking systems for related reporting requirements that may go into effect as early as January, says Daniel Robyn at Ernst & Young.

  • What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review

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    Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Checking In On How SuperValu Has Altered FCA Litigation

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    Four months after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in U.S. ex rel. Chutte v. SuperValu, the decision's reach may be more limited than initially anticipated, with the expansion of the scienter standard counterbalanced by some potential defense tools for defendants, say Elena Quattrone and Olivia Plinio at Epstein Becker.

  • What Could Come Of CFPB, EU Consumer Finance Collab

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    A recent joint statement from the European Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau focused on how technology is affecting consumers of financial services, potentially recognizing that legal protections are lacking because tech regulations lag behind its development, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Series

    Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Opinion

    Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues

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    Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • New FCC Broadband Label Rules Should Be Read Carefully

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    A recent order from the Federal Communications Commission clarifies standardized broadband label requirements that are pending final approval — and while compliance should be manageable, the rules impose new risk, particularly with regard to speed and latency disclosures, say Craig Gilley and Laura Stefani at Venable.

  • Starbucks 'Memphis 7' Ruling Shows Retaliation Is A Bad Idea

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    Starbucks’ unsuccessful attempts to quash unionization by retaliating against organizing employees — illustrated by the Sixth Circuit's recent backing of an order that forced the company to rehire seven pro-union workers in Memphis, Tennessee — demonstrates why employers should eschew hard-line tactics and instead foster genuine dialogue with their workforce, says Janette Levey at Levey Law.

  • Navigating PFAS Compliance With FDA, Emerging State Laws

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    As PFAS food packaging regulation intensifies at the state level, businesses should consider how federal action and possible preemption from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may affect their compliance plans, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI

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    When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • NY Cannabis Licensing Row Compounds State Industry Woes

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    A New York trial court’s recent injunction, preventing state regulators from issuing any new cannabis retail licenses, is the latest setback in a program rollout riddled with legal challenges and other delays, and will likely have negative impacts on operators, applicants, consumers and the state economy, say Meaghan Feenan and William Wolfe at Harris Beach.

  • How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth

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    Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Series

    In A 'Barbie' World: Boosting IP Value With Publicity Machines

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    Mattel's history of intellectual property monitoring, including its recent challenge against Burberry over the "BRBY" trademark ahead of the "Barbie" film, shows how IP enforcement strategies can be used as publicity to increase brand value and inform potential collaborations, says Carly Duckett at Shepherd and Wedderburn.

  • Key Elements Of The Proposed Credit Card Competition Act

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    Attorneys at Troutman Pepper examine the most noteworthy provisions in the recently proposed Credit Card Competition Act, including changes to payment card network access, Federal Reserve Board review, who would qualify as a covered institution, and routing restrictions.

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