Retail & E-Commerce

  • August 21, 2026

    $21M Deal Confirmed In Chinese E-Commerce Merger Suit

    A New York federal judge confirmed a final arbitration award approving a $21 million settlement reached in a long-running shareholder class action against Chinese e-commerce giant Dangdang, which alleged that minority shareholders were shortchanged when the company went private in 2016.

  • August 20, 2026

    Vape Shop Says NC University Wants It Out Of Nextdoor Plaza

    A North Carolina-based vape shop sued High Point University in state court, accusing the private university of illegally trying to force it out of an adjacent shopping center by, among other things, having guards turn prospective customers identified as students away from the center's parking lot based on "campus rules."

  • August 20, 2026

    Costco Asks Judge To Rethink Ruling, Toss Moonlighting Suit

    Costco is urging a Washington state judge to reconsider her order denying its bid for a pretrial win over claims that it illegally bars workers from taking on additional employment, arguing that its employee agreements are sufficiently narrow and that plaintiffs' claims are "simply speculation and attorney argument."

  • August 20, 2026

    Sephora Denied Wash. Workers Breaks, Class Action Says

    Sephora is facing a proposed class action from a former employee who claims the beauty retailer deprived Washington state workers of legally required meal and rest periods and failed to compensate them for missed breaks.

  • August 20, 2026

    Fla. Panel Reinstates $6.8M Injury Verdict Against Walmart

    A Florida state appeals court has reinstated a $6.8 million verdict awarded to a woman severely injured after she was struck by a pallet jack while shopping, saying a retrial was unwarranted because there was insufficient evidence jurors improperly discussed the case.

  • August 20, 2026

    TikTok's Ex-Legal Head Made Racist Comments, Suit Says

    TikTok and its former head of global legal operations have been accused in a California state court lawsuit of harassment and discrimination based on race and sex by a former legal department employee who claims the executive subjected her and other nonwhite colleagues to an "unrelenting campaign of harassment."

  • August 20, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Can-Am Fuel Claims Against Sinclair, Glovis

    A unanimous Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday revived Can-Am Fuel Distribution LLC's federal franchise claims against Sinclair Oil LLC and Glovis America Inc., holding the companies' licensing agreements are covered by the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act despite an "unusual variation" in the parties' relationship.

  • August 20, 2026

    Ruling Clears Path For Nov. 3 Vote On Miami Marina Project

    A Florida state judge has declined to block a November voter referendum on a developer's proposed $80 million overhaul of a city-owned Miami marina site in a July lawsuit aiming to invalidate the deal brought by the marina's operator.

  • August 20, 2026

    Ticket Buyers Ask 2nd Circ. To Nix Live Nation Arbitration

    Concertgoers who purchased tickets on the secondary market are asking the Second Circuit to vacate a lower court's decision forcing them to arbitrate their antitrust claims against Live Nation and its Ticketmaster unit.

  • August 20, 2026

    Smoke Shop Chain Misclassified Workers, Owes OT, Suit Says

    A chain of Houston-area smokeshops and their owners allegedly misclassified their employees as independent contractors to avoid paying overtime, according to a worker-led lawsuit filed in Texas federal court seeking unpaid wages for similar employees.

  • August 20, 2026

    Fashion Biz Founder Gets 5 Years For Large-Scale Fraud

    A federal judge in New York sentenced the founder of bankrupt apparel company CaaStle to five years in prison on Thursday after she admitted to deceiving investors about the prospects of her supposed $1.4 billion business to fraudulently raise nearly $300 million.

  • August 20, 2026

    Nintendo Customer Fights To Keep Tariff Refund Suit Alive

    A Washington federal court should deny Nintendo's attempt to escape a proposed class action seeking reimbursement of costs that customers paid toward President Donald Trump's since-invalidated global tariff regime now that the company is pursuing refunds, a customer told the court.

  • August 20, 2026

    Estee Lauder's TM Suit 'Full Of Detail,' Judge Tells Walmart

    A California federal judge said Thursday he is skeptical of Walmart's motion to dismiss much of Estee Lauder's lawsuit accusing the retail giant of selling infringing beauty products online, saying he is unsure the pleadings are inadequate at this stage because he found them "chock full of detail."

  • August 20, 2026

    Trade Groups Back Apple In 9th Circ. Class Decert. Fight

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other trade and advocacy groups backed Apple Wednesday with amicus briefs telling the Ninth Circuit to reject an appeal from consumers looking to undo the decertification of a class of roughly 200 million people in an antitrust case targeting App Store policies.

  • August 20, 2026

    Conn. Nissan Dealer Will Pay $4M To End FTC's Junk Fee Suit

    A Connecticut federal judge on Thursday approved a $4 million deal to resolve claims from government enforcers that a Nissan dealership broke consumer protection laws by adding deceptive junk fees to vehicle sale prices.

  • August 20, 2026

    Under Armour Fights Ex-Supplier's Bid For Antitrust Appeal

    Under Armour wants to keep moving toward a November trial for an ex-supplier's tortious interference claims, arguing that a request to pause the case for an immediate appeal of trimmed antitrust allegations rested on the slim chance the Third Circuit would reverse dismissal of those claims.

  • August 20, 2026

    AmEx Waived Arbitration By Refusing Fees, 1st Circ. Says

    American Express forfeited its right to insist on arbitration in a proposed class action by merchants challenging the company's swipe-fee rules when it failed to pay its share of the arbitrator's fees, estimated to be $17 million, the First Circuit has ruled.

  • August 20, 2026

    KKR Lobs $9B Takeover Offer At UGI, Plus More Rumors

    Private equity behemoth KKR offered to acquire natural gas distributor UGI Corp. for $9 billion, fast-fashion company Shein is eyeing a $25 billion valuation ahead of its anticipated Hong Kong initial public offering, and e-commerce giant Alibaba sold its game developer business to Trustar Capital in a $2 billion deal. Here, Law360 breaks down the notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • August 20, 2026

    Sports Card Seller, Dealer Settle Collapsed Buyout Suit

    A California trading card distributor and Michigan-based House of Hits Sports Cards on Thursday settled their dispute over a proposed six-figure buyout that fell through after House of Hits allegedly failed to render payment under the agreement.

  • August 19, 2026

    Davis Wright Vets Scolded: Don't Tell Foes 'How To Run Firm'

    Davis Wright Tremaine LLP veterans have failed to dodge six-figure sanctions in a prominent discovery donnybrook, and a California magistrate judge added invective to the financial injury, lambasting "troubling" omissions in case citations and heavy-handed "nitpicking" akin to commandeering an adversary's law firm.

  • August 19, 2026

    Amazon Wants Full 9th Circ. To Rethink Block On Perplexity AI

    Amazon is pressing the full Ninth Circuit to consider a lower court's injunction preventing Perplexity's "uniquely reckless" artificial intelligence tool from purchasing items for users on Amazon, arguing that a panel erred in lifting the block earlier this month.

  • August 19, 2026

    FTC Warns Secret Personalized Prices Likely To Draw Scrutiny

    Retailers and other businesses that use consumers' personal data to set individualized prices are likely to face regulatory backlash if these practices aren't clearly disclosed, the Federal Trade Commission cautioned in a proposed policy statement issued Wednesday that vowed the agency would "aggressively" enforce such misconduct.

  • August 19, 2026

    1st Circ. Says Apellis Disclosures Weren't 'Half-Truths'

    A First Circuit panel on Wednesday affirmed the dismissal of a securities fraud lawsuit accusing Apellis Pharmaceuticals and some of its top executives of misleading investors about the safety testing of the company's eye drug Syfovre, finding no actionable claim the company told "half-truths" about potential side effects of inflammation that can lead to blindness. 

  • August 19, 2026

    Albertsons Says Wash. Failed To Prove Opioid Claims At Trial

    Albertsons Cos. Inc. urged a Seattle judge on Tuesday to throw out Washington state's lawsuit accusing the chain and its subsidiary Safeway Inc. of fueling Washington's opioid crisis, arguing that the state failed to prove wrongdoing by the companies after nearly five weeks of an ongoing bench trial.

  • August 19, 2026

    Cracker Barrel Can't Toss ERISA Tobacco Fee Suit

    Cracker Barrel must face a proposed class action alleging that a surcharge on the health plans of workers who used tobacco violated federal benefits law, after a Tennessee federal judge on Wednesday found that an ex-worker sufficiently backed up allegations that a wellness program implementing the fee didn't meet all federal requirements.

Expert Analysis

  • Assessing Compliance Risks Around TrumpRx Participation

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    As there are novel compliance obligations and potential political opposition related to the new TrumpRx online drug platform, companies intending to participate on the site should consider the pressure points that are likely to draw enforcement scrutiny, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: February Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four recent rulings from November and December, and identifies practice tips from cases involving the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act and Missouri unjust enrichment claims, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, the Class Action Fairness Act, and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

  • Series

    Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.

  • Courts Are Reanchoring Antitrust Enforcement In Evidence

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    Recent U.S. antitrust disputes, including with Meta and HPE-Juniper, illustrate how judicial scrutiny combined with internal institutional checks is pushing enforcement toward an evidence-based footing and refinements, says Thomas Stratmann at George Mason University.

  • Takeaways From 8th Circ. Ruling On Worker's 'BLM' Display

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    The Eighth Circuit's recent decision in Home Depot v. National Labor Relations Board, finding that Home Depot legally prohibited an employee from displaying Black Lives Matter messaging on his uniform, reaffirms employers' right to restrict politically sensitive material, but should not be read as a blank check, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • Texas AG Wields Consumer Protection Law Against Tech Cos.

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted technology companies using the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a broadly worded statute that gives the attorney general wide latitude to pursue claims beyond traditional consumer protection, creating unique litigation risks, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

  • When Bankruptcy Collides With Product Recalls

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    The recent bankruptcy filing by Rad Power Bikes on the heels of a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warning about dangerously defective batteries sold by the company highlights how CPSC enforcement clashes with bankruptcy protections, leaving both regulators and consumer litigants with limited options, says Michael Avanesian at Avian Law Group.

  • Utilizing The ITC To Combat 'Gray Market' IP Infringement

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    As technological developments intensify trademark owners' need to respond swiftly to "gray market" sales of international goods imported into the U.S. without the trademark owner's consent, litigating at the U.S. International Trade Commission offers an underutilized enforcement option, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Bipartisan Enforcement Is Rising In Consumer Finance

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    Activity over the past year suggests a bipartisan state enforcement wave is rippling across the consumer finance industry, which follows a blueprint set out by former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra, who notably now leads a Democratic Attorneys General Association working group, say attorneys at Hudson Cook.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • New State Regs On PFAS In Products Complicate Compliance

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    The new year brought new bans and reporting requirements for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in half a dozen states — in many cases, targeting specific consumer product categories — so manufacturers, distributors and retailers must not only monitor their own supply chains, but also coordinate to ensure compliance, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Congress Should Lead On AI Policy, Not The States

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    There needs to be some limits on how far federal agencies go in regulating artificial intelligence systems, but Congress must not abdicate its responsibility and cede control over this interstate market to state and local officials, say Kevin Frazier at the University of Texas School of Law and Adam Thierer at the R Street Institute.

  • How 2 Tech Statutes Are Being Applied To Agentic AI

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    The application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the California Invasion of Privacy Act to agentic artificial intelligence is still developing, but recent case law, like Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity in California federal court, provides some initial guidance for companies developing or deploying these technologies, say attorneys at Weil.

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