Retail & E-Commerce

  • June 23, 2025

    Gibson Dunn, Cleary Guide $1.77B C&S-SpartanNash Deal

    C&S Wholesale Grocers will acquire grocery distributor and retailer SpartanNash in a $1.77 billion all-cash deal, the companies said in a joint statement Monday, with Gibson Dunn and Cleary serving as legal counsel to the buyer and seller, respectively.

  • June 23, 2025

    Justices Pass On La. Regulators' Tesla Sales Ban

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a Fifth Circuit decision that revived Tesla's lawsuit accusing Louisiana car dealers and regulators of illegally excluding the direct-sale automaker from the state, following a notification from the parties of their intent to reach a settlement.

  • June 20, 2025

    Science Research Funding Cuts Blocked By Mass. Judge

    A Massachusetts federal judge Friday prohibited the Trump administration from cutting certain National Science Foundation research funding associated with facilities and administrative costs, ruling that the policy runs afoul of multiple laws and the government hasn't adequately explained its reasoning.

  • June 20, 2025

    Supreme Court Won't Leapfrog DC Circ. Over Trump's Tariffs

    The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request from two Illinois-based toy makers challenging President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs to consider their case before it is reviewed by the D.C. Circuit.

  • June 20, 2025

    Bloomingdale's Website Tracking Suit Revived On CIPA Claim

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday reversed the toss of a proposed class action accusing Bloomingdale's of illegally capturing website visitors' activities in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, finding the plaintiff had sufficiently alleged that the retailer had disclosed the "contents" of her communications to a third-party software provider.

  • June 20, 2025

    NJ Court Upholds Some Claims In Athlete's Cannabis Suit

    New Jersey marijuana retailers can't shake a lawsuit by a champion collegiate athlete who claims their products caused him to develop cannabis-induced psychosis resulting in a suicide attempt, a state judge has ruled, saying the plaintiff's defective design and failure to warn claims are valid.

  • June 20, 2025

    Walmart Shells Out $10M To Resolve FTC Money Transfer Suit

    Walmart has agreed to pay $10 million to put to rest the Federal Trade Commission's allegations that the retailer "turned a blind eye to scammers" who facilitated fraud through its money transfer services, according to an announcement made Friday.

  • June 20, 2025

    Texas Jury To Decide Google Ad Tech Liability, Not Damages

    A Texas federal judge is giving Google only partial reprieve from facing a jury on state attorneys general claims targeting its advertising placement technology business, leaving liability under federal antitrust law and any damages up to the court, while letting most state law claims go to the jury.

  • June 20, 2025

    Victoria's Secret Narrows Ex-Worker's Sex Harassment Suit

    A Pennsylvania federal judge trimmed claims from a former Victoria's Secret sales associate's suit claiming her boss made sexual comments and touched her inappropriately on the job, ruling she didn't file the proper pre-suit charges to keep her local and state claims in play.

  • June 20, 2025

    Microplastics Focus May Force Change In Biz Practices

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed it's considering research that could lead to microplastics regulation, and although policies may be years away, businesses are already facing pressure to change their practices from increasing state regulation and consumer litigation.

  • June 20, 2025

    Nike, Shoe Surgeon Settle TM Suit Over Custom Sneakers

    Nike has agreed to settle a trademark lawsuit it brought in New York against a Los Angeles-based sneaker customizing company called The Shoe Surgeon and others for direct and contributory infringement, with the defendants agreeing to pay an undisclosed sum to the sports apparel giant.

  • June 20, 2025

    Trump Taps Atty Dropped By Biden For Eastern Ky. Fed. Court

    President Donald Trump has announced plans to nominate former Kentucky Solicitor General Chad Meredith to serve as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

  • June 20, 2025

    Pearson Warshaw, Fegan Scott To Steer PVC Antitrust Class

    Pearson Warshaw LLP and Fegan Scott LLC have been tapped as lead counsel for a new class of end-user plaintiffs in consolidated litigation accusing polyvinyl chloride pipe companies of using a commodity pricing service to exchange information and illegally fix prices.

  • June 20, 2025

    Airport Parking Sites Charged Hidden Service Fees, Suit Says

    The operator of two airport parking reservation websites advertised prices that failed to disclose mandatory service charges customers would later have to pay to book parking spaces, according to a putative class action filed in Illinois state court.

  • June 20, 2025

    Justices Let E-Cig Retailers Join Challenge To FDA Prohibition

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that e-cigarette retailers can challenge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's denial of product marketing applications, finding manufacturers aren't the only entities that can be adversely affected by the agency's decisions.

  • June 18, 2025

    Rapid-Fire Gun Trigger Maker Accuses Rival Of Infringing IP

    Patent holder ABC IP LLP and gun trigger maker Rare Breed sued a gun company in Ohio federal court, accusing it of selling a "super safety" device that's infringing a patent related to a forced-reset trigger that speeds the rate of fire for AR-15-style firearms.

  • June 18, 2025

    Tesla Says Justices Shouldn't Wait On La. Auto Sales Law

    Tesla is asking the U.S. Supreme Court not to push off considering Louisiana regulators' petition seeking to appeal the revival of a lawsuit brought by the electric-car maker targeting the state's ban on direct sales by automakers, even though the state has asked the justices to wait.

  • June 18, 2025

    Kumho Tire Says NC Seller Is Ripping Off Trademarks

    Georgia-based tire maker Kumho Tire USA Inc. is going after an Amazon seller for alleged Lanham Act violations, saying North Carolina-based GE Tires Online Inc. is selling tires using its trademarks and branding them as new when they are "used, closed-out, liquidated, counterfeit, and/or nongenuine."

  • June 18, 2025

    J&J Hit With $8M Verdict In Multi-Exposure Talc Case

    A jury awarded $8 million on Wednesday to a Massachusetts woman who said Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder caused her mesothelioma, rejecting the company's claims that family members' work around asbestos absolved it of blame.

  • June 18, 2025

    Consumers Drop Gore-Tex 'Greenwashing' Class Suit

    Consumers suing the maker of the waterproof fabric Gore-Tex are looking to end, for now, their proposed class action against the company alleging W.L. Gore & Associates used toxic forever chemicals to manufacture its material while also "greenwashing" its image.

  • June 18, 2025

    Pittsburgh, State Should Pay For Demolished Bridge, Co. Says

    A Pennsylvania property owner has accused Pittsburgh and the state's Department of Transportation of effectively taking its property by demolishing a railroad-highway bridge that provided access to a parking lot, an auto parts distribution center and other land, arguing the company is owed damages.

  • June 18, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Partly Undoes Walmart Copyright Verdict

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday reversed part of a jury's verdict that found Walmart had violated a sculptor's copyrights by selling knockoffs of her lamps, allowing the retail giant to escape paying her attorney fees for now.

  • June 18, 2025

    Ga. Court Backs Dismissal Of Hemp Farm's Drug Raid Suit

    A Georgia appellate panel has said that state law enforcement cannot be held liable for allegedly damaging tens of thousands of dollars worth of product at a hemp farm, ruling that the Georgia Department of Public Safety was wholly shielded by sovereign immunity.

  • June 18, 2025

    Online Bookstore Investors Seek Del. Sale Suit Revival

    Stockholders of an online "virtual" bookstore that lost money for years urged Delaware's Supreme Court Wednesday to reverse a Court of Chancery decision upholding a $12.5 million sale to the company's preferred shareholders under a disputed liquidation preference.

  • June 18, 2025

    Jury Awards $76M To Pipefitter Burned In Kroger Explosion

    A pipefitter and HVAC technician has been awarded $76.7 million by a Michigan jury after a chemical accident at a Kroger store caused him to lose several fingers.

Expert Analysis

  • HHS Directive Could Overhaul Food Ingredient Safety Rules

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    If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration eliminates the self-affirmed pathway that allows food ingredients to be used without premarket approval, per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' directive, it would be a sea change for the food industry and the food-contact material industry, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Leadership To BigLaw

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    The move from government service to private practice can feel like changing one’s identity, but as someone who has left the U.S. Department of Justice twice, I’ve learned that a successful transition requires patience, effort and the realization that the rewards of practicing law don’t come from one particular position, says Richard Donoghue at Pillsbury.

  • Reconciling 2 Smoke Coverage Cases From California

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    As highlighted by a California Department of Insurance bulletin clarifying the effect of two recent decisions on insurance coverage, the February state appellate ruling denying coverage for property damage from smoke, ash and soot should be viewed as an outlier, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • State Extended Producer Responsibility Laws: Tips For Cos.

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    As states increasingly shift the onus of end-of-life product management from consumers and local governments to the businesses that produce, distribute or sell certain items, companies must track the changing landscape and evaluate the applicability of these new laws and regulations to their operations, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Law Firm Executive Orders Create A Legal Ethics Minefield

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    Recent executive orders targeting BigLaw firms create ethical dilemmas — and raise the specter of civil or criminal liability — for the government attorneys tasked with implementing them and for the law firms that choose to make agreements with the administration, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • Firms Must Embrace Alternative Billing Models Or Fall Behind

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    As artificial intelligence tools eliminate inefficiencies and the Big Four accounting firms enter the legal market, law firms that pivot from the entrenched billable hour model to outcomes-based pricing will see a distinct competitive advantage, says attorney William Brewer.

  • Trending At The PTAB: A Pivot On Discretionary Denials

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    Following the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's rescission of the 2022 Vidal memorandum and a reversion to the standards under Apple v. Fintiv, petitioners hoping to avoid discretionary denials should undertake holistic review of all Fintiv factors, rather than relying on certain fail-safe provisions, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of On-Camera Presence

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    As attorneys are increasingly presented with on-camera opportunities, they can adapt their traditional legal skills for video contexts — such as virtual client meetings, marketing content or media interviews — by understanding the medium and making intentional adjustments, says Kerry Barrett.

  • Series

    Baseball Fantasy Camp Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    With six baseball fantasy experiences under my belt, I've learned time and again that I didn't make the wrong career choice, but I've also learned that baseball lessons are life lessons, and I'm a better lawyer for my time at St. Louis Cardinals fantasy camp, says Scott Felder at Wiley.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw

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    Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

  • Fed. Circ. In Feb.: Lessons On Cases With Many Patent Claims

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    The Federal Circuit's decision in Kroy IP v. Groupon last month establishes that inter partes review petitioners cannot rely on collateral estoppel to invalidate patent claims after challenging a smaller subset, highlighting the benefit that patent owners may gain from seeking patents with many claims, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • How Calif. Algorithmic Pricing Bills Could Affect Consumers

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    California's legislative efforts to regulate algorithmic pricing may address antitrust and fairness concerns, but could stop retailers from providing consumer discounts, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.

  • How Importers Can Minimize FCA Risks Of Tariff Mitigation

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    False Claims Act risks are inherent in many tariff mitigation strategies, making it important for importers to implement best practices to identify and report potential violations of import regulations before they escalate, says Samuel Finkelstein at LMD Trade Law.

  • State Securities Enforcers May Fill A Federal Enforcement Gap

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission appears poised to take a lighter touch under the new administration, but state enforcement efforts are likely to continue unabated, and potentially even increase, particularly with regard to digital assets and ESG disclosures, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Firms Still Have Lateral Market Advantage, But Risks Persist

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    Partner and associate mobility data from the fourth quarter of 2024 shows that we’re in a new, stable era of lateral hiring where firms have the edge, but leaders should proceed cautiously, looking beyond expected revenue and compensation analyses for potential risks, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

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