Retail & E-Commerce

  • September 24, 2025

    IP Feud Over 'Shark Tank'-Backed Comb Settles Before Trial

    The inventor of a hair-twisting system that was featured on an episode of "Shark Tank" and received an investment from celebrity businessman Mark Cuban has settled patent infringement claims with a rival a week before the two were to go to trial.

  • September 24, 2025

    Del. Justices Uphold $10.5B Zendesk Take-Private Deal

    Delaware's Supreme Court early Wednesday upheld the Court of Chancery's Sept. 10 dismissal of a stockholder challenge to the $10.5 billion take-private deal for software as a service business Zendesk Inc., closing the book on the case in two sentences issued two weeks after appeal arguments.

  • September 24, 2025

    Books Inc. Gets OK For $3.25M Sale To Barnes & Noble

    California's oldest independent bookstore chain, Books Inc., received approval Wednesday from a bankruptcy judge for a $3.25 million sale to Barnes & Noble, and hopes to close on the sale Oct. 1.

  • September 24, 2025

    SharkNinja Gets Expert, Suit Alleging Blender Injury Tossed

    A Colorado federal judge has given SharkNinja Operating LLC a win in a suit alleging one of its blenders spilled hot contents onto a woman because of a design defect, finding her expert's opinions were unreliable and inadmissible.

  • September 23, 2025

    OTC Drug Co. Must Face Shampoo Cancer Risk Class Action

    A Pennsylvania federal judge denied Lake Consumer Products Inc.'s request to toss a putative class action alleging it manufactures coal tar shampoo with known carcinogens, reasoning that most of the claims against the company were plausible enough to move forward.

  • September 23, 2025

    Industry Witnesses In Google Ad Tech Case Not 'That Helpful'

    A Virginia federal judge tightened the leash Tuesday on the U.S. Department of Justice and Google fight over the company's advertising placement technology business, expressing dissatisfaction with non-technical industry witnesses testifying about the benefits and costs of a government breakup proposal.

  • September 23, 2025

    Amazon Prime Trapped Consumers, FTC Tells Seattle Jury

    Amazon knew for years that millions of people were inadvertently enrolling in its Prime subscription program because of its design choices but prioritized boosting membership counts over fixing the problem, the Federal Trade Commission told a Seattle federal jury on Tuesday, kicking off a long-awaited consumer protection trial against the e-commerce giant.

  • September 23, 2025

    Google, Meta Beat BlueChew Users' Privacy Suit, For Now

    A California federal judge Tuesday dismissed a proposed class action alleging Google and Meta illegally gathered information from website users buying erectile dysfunction medication on BlueChew's website, since BlueChew's revised policy makes clear their personal data consisting of health information would be shared with third parties for advertising purposes.

  • September 23, 2025

    RadioShack Reboot Plan Morphed Into $112M Scam, SEC Says

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued three former Retail Ecommerce Ventures LLC executives in Florida federal court Tuesday, alleging they raised $112 million through fraudulent securities offerings that operated as a Ponzi-like scheme that promised bogus 25% annual returns to revitalize popular REV brands including RadioShack and Pier 1 Imports.

  • September 23, 2025

    FCC Demands Boomerang, Others Repay $1.1M For Contracts

    The Federal Communications Commission said it is owed more than $1.1 million for spending more on computer tablets than was needed by two wireless companies during pandemic-era assistance programs.

  • September 23, 2025

    CFPB Frees Apple, US Bank From Biden-Era Consent Orders

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has lifted two more enforcement orders issued during the Biden administration, this time granting both Apple Inc. and U.S. Bank NA an early release from ongoing monitoring years ahead of schedule.

  • September 23, 2025

    Amazon Workers Get Cert. In Wage Suit Over New Hire Events

    A California federal judge certified a class of Amazon workers who allege the retail giant failed to pay them for time spent at mandatory new hire events, but she granted the company partial summary judgment on some of the wage allegations against it.

  • September 23, 2025

    Gibson Gets $1 Guitar TM Award Upped To $168K

    After a Texas federal jury awarded guitar maker Gibson just $1 in damages from a Florida-based competitor found to have infringed trademarks for its iconic guitar shapes, a federal judge increased the award to just over $168,000 in disgorgement of profits earned through infringement.

  • September 23, 2025

    Gun Group Misused Buyers' Data For Political Ads, Suit Says

    The National Shooting Sports Foundation Inc. unjustly enriched itself by secretly obtaining the personal data of millions of firearms buyers from warranty registration cards and creating a database it then used to spread tailored political messages, a proposed class action alleges.

  • September 23, 2025

    Sunbeam Settles Claims With Scalded Pressure Cooker User

    A woman who sued Sunbeam Products Inc. and its parent Newell Brands Inc. last week with allegations that she was scalded by a defective pressure cooker told the Georgia federal court on Tuesday that she'd settled her claims.

  • September 23, 2025

    Texas Bans Hemp Sales To Minors Under Emergency Rule

    Texas regulators on Tuesday adopted emergency rules restricting the sale of hemp-derived psychoactive products to anyone under the age of 21.

  • September 22, 2025

    Amazon Says NY Labor Law Update Steps On NLRA

    Amazon on Monday launched a federal lawsuit challenging an amendment to New York labor law that the ecommerce company says "flips U.S. labor law on its head" by unconstitutionally empowering the state's Public Employment Relations Board to regulate private-sector labor relations already covered by federal law.

  • September 22, 2025

    Hershey Defeats Reese's Halloween Candy Misbranding Suit

    A Florida federal judge has thrown out a proposed class action claiming Hershey misled consumers by selling Halloween-themed Reese's products in packaging that made them think the pumpkin-shaped candy would feature carved, jack-o'-lantern designs.

  • September 22, 2025

    Oracle To Secure TikTok Users' Data In Deal To Skirt US Ban

    Tech giant Oracle will be tasked with safeguarding U.S. TikTok users' personal data, and the app's recommendation algorithm will be "retrained" and operated outside the control of TikTok's Chinese parent company under a deal that President Donald Trump is expected to sign this week to avert a shutdown of TikTok, the White House said Monday. 

  • September 22, 2025

    Google Ad Tech Breakup 'Drastic' But Best, DOJ Tells Judge

    A U.S. Department of Justice attorney pressed a Virginia federal judge Monday to break up Google's advertising placement technology business, asserting in opening statements that a divestiture is doable and the only way to fully address Google's monopoly.

  • September 22, 2025

    Weedmaps Accused Of Promoting Illegal Cannabis Cos.

    Weedmaps Technology Inc. is allegedly violating California laws by knowingly allowing unlicensed cannabis retailers to advertise on its online delivery platform, according to a new proposed class action filed in Los Angeles County court that claims the practice puts law-abiding dispensaries at a competitive disadvantage.

  • September 22, 2025

    Davis Polk, Latham Advise On $3.2B Heineken FIFCO Buy

    Dutch brewer Heineken NV said Monday it has agreed to acquire most of Costa Rica's FIFCO beverage and retail operations for approximately $3.2 billion. 

  • September 22, 2025

    DOJ Urges 7th Circ. To Affirm Strike Of Ill. Assault Rifle Ban

    The Department of Justice's civil rights chief told a Seventh Circuit panel on Monday that an Illinois law banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines is unconstitutional and that the appellate court set an "inaccurate standard" when it denied an earlier bid to block the law's enforcement.

  • September 22, 2025

    Contractor's Insurers Owe $7M For Bridal Shop Fire, Suit Says

    A bridal shop said a contractor's insurers must pay their combined $7 million policy limits toward a $38 million judgment in an underlying suit over a fire caused by the contractor's demolition work at another property, according to a complaint removed to New York federal court Monday.

  • September 22, 2025

    Judge Lets Suit Over Audible's Expiring Credits Move Forward

    A Washington federal judge has declined to toss a consumer's proposed class action against Audible Inc. over the expiration dates on membership "credits," saying such vouchers don't have to be backed by a specific cash value to be covered by the Evergreen State's gift card law.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing Guitar Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a lawyer not only requires logic and hard work, but also belief, emotion, situational awareness and lots of natural energy — playing guitar enhances all of these qualities, increasing my capacity to do my best work, says Kosta Stojilkovic at Wilkinson Stekloff.

  • Takeaways From DOJ's Latest FCA Customs Fraud Intervention

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent intervention in a case alleging customs-related reverse False Claims Act fraud underlines the government’s increased scrutiny of, and importers’ corresponding exposure from, information related to product classification, country of origin and pricing, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook

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    The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.

  • Tips For Companies Crafting Tariff Surcharge Disclosures

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    As the Trump administration imposes tariffs on imports, retail businesses considering itemizing tariff-related costs separately for consumers must ensure that any disclosures are both accurate and defensible to avoid regulatory enforcement or private suits, says Christopher Cole at Katten.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigLaw

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    While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.

  • Top 3 Litigation Finance Deal-Killers, And How To Avoid Them

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    Like all transactions, litigation finance deals can sometimes collapse, but understanding the most common reasons for failure, including a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of deal terms, can help both parties avoid problems, say Rebecca Berrebi at Avenue 33 and Boris Ziser at Schulte Roth.

  • Compliance Lessons From Warby Parker's HIPAA Fine

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    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' civil money penalty against Warby Parker highlights the emerging challenges that consumer-facing brands encounter when expanding into healthcare-adjacent sectors, with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance being a potential focus of regulatory attention, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

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    Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • Tracking The Evolution Of Liability Management Exercises

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    As liability management exercises face increasing legal scrutiny, understanding the history of these debt restructuring tools can help explain how the playbook keeps adapting — and why the next move is always just one ruling or transaction away, say attorneys at Weil.

  • What Banks Must Do To Attract Gen Z Customers

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    The young adults of Generation Z bank differently, so financial institutions must engage appropriately if they wish to attract this key population, including by leveraging savvy marketing, well-designed online interfaces and top-notch customer service, says Madeline Thieschafer at Fredrikson & Byron.

  • Rebuttal

    Mass Arbitration Reform Must Focus On Justice

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    A recent Law360 guest article argued that mass arbitration reform is needed to alleviate companies’ financial and administrative burdens, but any such reform must deliver real justice, not just cost savings for the powerful, says Eduard Korsinsky at Levi & Korsinsky.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

  • Breaking Down Ill. Bellwether Case For Bank Preemption

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    The banking industry's pending lawsuit against the state of Illinois stands to permanently enjoin state regulation of bank card processing, as well as clarify the outstanding and consequential issue of whether conflict preemption continues to cover third parties in certain circumstances, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • J&J's Failed 3rd Try Casts Doubt On Use Of 'Texas Two-Step'

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    A Texas bankruptcy court recently rejected Johnson & Johnson's third attempt to use Chapter 11 to resolve liabilities from allegations of injuries from using talcum powder, suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court's limitations on nondebtor releases, from 2024's Purdue Pharma ruling, may prove difficult to evade, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

  • Series

    Teaching College Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving as an adjunct college professor has taught me the importance of building rapport, communicating effectively, and persuading individuals to critically analyze the difference between what they think and what they know — principles that have helped to improve my practice of law, says Sheria Clarke at Nelson Mullins.

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