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Consumer Protection

  • September 11, 2025

    $8.7 Million Data Breach Deal Gets Preliminary Approval

    A human resources and employee benefits management company moved one step closer to resolving a consolidated, proposed class action over a data breach that affected roughly 580,000 individuals as a California federal court gave preliminary approval to an $8.7 million settlement.

  • September 11, 2025

    FCC Focuses On 'Friendly' Space Regulatory Environment

    Federal Communications Commission leaders said this week one of their top goals is to make the U.S. the world's most hospitable regulatory turf for commercial space activity as "Space Race 2.0" accelerates with China.

  • September 11, 2025

    Audible Credit Suit Raises Question On Wash. Gift Card Law

    A federal judge in Seattle has floated asking Washington's high court to clarify the scope of the Evergreen State's gift card law, suggesting on Thursday that a consumer suit over expiring Audible credits hinges on whether the statute only covers instruments with monetary value.  

  • September 11, 2025

    FCC Warns Cable, Prime Customers Of Scam Offering 50% Off

    Comcast and Amazon won't offer customers discounts on their subscription if they pay in gift cards, the Federal Communications Commission is warning after noticing the proliferation of a new scam claiming that a "50% discount on your monthly bill is set to expire."

  • September 11, 2025

    Mich. Judge Greenlights Fiat Chrysler Engine Fire Settlement

    A Michigan federal judge on Thursday granted preliminary approval to a settlement between drivers and FCA US LLC to resolve claims that the automaker sold trucks with an engine defect that could cause fires.

  • September 11, 2025

    Disney Flouts Privacy Law By Exploiting User Data, Suit Says

    The Walt Disney Co. is flouting privacy laws by illegally gathering and sharing with Google personal information of individuals who visit its website for data monetization and advertising purposes, without their knowledge or consent, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.

  • September 11, 2025

    Google, Apple Fight Proposed UK App Ranking, Pay Mandates

    Apple and Google both pushed back on proposals by United Kingdom antitrust authorities to stop the companies from boosting their own apps and using commission-based payment systems but took slightly different approaches, according to separate responses made public Thursday.

  • September 11, 2025

    Execs Seek Exit From Predatory Loan Suit Naming Tribal Biz

    Company executives accused of operating a predatory lending scheme involving the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe have asked a California federal judge to strike class allegations against them and send the suit to arbitration, saying the lead plaintiff waived his right to bring class actions in his loan agreement.

  • September 11, 2025

    Roblox, Discord Again Accused Of Ignoring Teen Exploitation

    The mother of a 14-year-old girl allegedly groomed by a predator on Roblox and Discord recently joined the slew of parents suing the online platforms for failing to safeguard children from being sexually exploited, saying in a suit filed in California federal court that she wrongly believed Roblox in particular was safe for children.

  • September 11, 2025

    23 States Back High Court Stay Of FTC Dem's Reinstatement

    Florida and 22 other states have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to grant the Trump administration's request to block a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission from serving on the commission while she challenges her firing.

  • September 11, 2025

    Vet's Wells Fargo Credit Ding Didn't Break Law, Jury Finds

    Wells Fargo didn't violate the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act by failing to recognize fraud affecting the account of a customer who described himself as a veteran of the U.S. military's special forces, a federal jury in Washington state has concluded.

  • September 10, 2025

    Uber Balanced Safety With Need For Growth, Jurors Told

    Uber's former head of global safety testified Wednesday in a bellwether trial over sexual assault allegations against the ride-hailing giant, telling jurors that during his tenure, Uber worked to balance safety priorities with its corporate growth.

  • September 10, 2025

    FTC Urged To Probe Microsoft Over Ascension Data Breach

    U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is calling on the Federal Trade Commission to open an investigation into Microsoft's "gross cybersecurity negligence" that has allegedly contributed to cyberattacks against critical infrastructure providers, including a 2024 ransomware hack that targeted hospital system Ascension.

  • September 10, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revisit Double-Patenting, Soda TM Appeals

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday declined to revisit its decisions in a trio of intellectual property cases, including one where it upheld an Acadia Pharmaceuticals Parkinson's disease drug patent and addressed double-patenting, and another deeming "Kist" and "Sunkist" soft drink marks confusingly similar.

  • September 10, 2025

    2nd Circ. OKs Verizon's $47M FCC Fine, Splitting With 5th Circ.

    The Second Circuit upheld Wednesday the Federal Communications Commission's $46.9 million fine against Verizon Communications Inc. for misuse of device-location data, rejecting Verizon's arguments that the data falls outside federal privacy protections and that such a penalty without a jury trial was unconstitutional, creating a split with the Fifth Circuit.

  • September 10, 2025

    NC Justice Probes 'Scalia-Style' View Of Waste Fee Law

    A North Carolina Supreme Court justice probed the expansiveness of counsel's argument over a county's solid waste ordinance Wednesday, wondering if channeling a "Justice Scalia"-style reading of the text suggests that a property owner could hire a private waste collector just once a year to sidestep an annual fee.

  • September 10, 2025

    FCC's Carr Says Agency Clawbacks Save More Than $9M

    The Federal Communications Commission will be clawing back more than $9 million in overpayments that it says it mistakenly made to telecoms and discovered as part of an audit of the "antiquated high-cost program."

  • September 10, 2025

    SEC Says Adviser Startup Broke Investor Data Privacy Rule

    An investment adviser representative and his firm were hit with a suit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday over claims that the adviser, among other things, emailed himself confidential client information from his former employer as a step in creating his own investment firm.

  • September 10, 2025

    FCC Sticks With Nearly $1M Pirate Radio Fine

    A New York City area man was slapped with a nearly $1 million Federal Communications Commission fine Wednesday for operating an illegal radio station, after the agency says he ignored the notice warning that they intended to fine him for nearly a year.

  • September 10, 2025

    Texas Gov. Issues Executive Order On Hemp Products For Kids

    Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday issued an executive order requiring state agencies to implement rules restricting the sale of hemp-derived psychoactive products to anyone under the age of 21.

  • September 10, 2025

    Md. Appeals Court Says Psychoactive Hemp Wares Illegal

    A Maryland appeals court on Tuesday ruled that products containing psychoactive compounds derived from hemp are illegal, delivering a blow to a coalition of hemp interests that brought a constitutional challenge to the state's recreational marijuana legalization law.

  • September 10, 2025

    NCAA Bans Hoopsters For Betting, Rigging Performances

    The NCAA has permanently banned three California college basketball players for their "coordinated effort" to bet on their own games, each other's games and their own performances, with at least one athlete manipulating his on-court performance to secure gambling wins.

  • September 10, 2025

    Consumers Defend Challenge To Nippon-US Steel Merger

    Consumers urged a California federal judge Wednesday not to dismiss their challenge to Nippon Steel's now-closed purchase of U.S. Steel Corp., arguing they've fixed an earlier lawsuit's shortcomings.

  • September 10, 2025

    3rd Circ. Questions NJ's Bid To Block Kalshi's Sports Bets

    The Third Circuit seemed prepared on Wednesday to block New Jersey from enforcing a sports gambling ban on trading platform KalshiEx, with at least one judge arguing the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's authority to regulate the event contracts space "seems quite broad."

  • September 10, 2025

    FTC Warns Healthcare Employers About Noncompetes

    The Federal Trade Commission has sent letters warning healthcare employers and staffing companies not to include overly broad noncompete restrictions in their employment contracts and urged them to conduct a review to ensure they comply with the law.

Expert Analysis

  • How Medical Practices Can Improve Privacy Compliance

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    In light of recent high-profile patient privacy violations, health practices — especially in California — should better position themselves to comply with medical privacy laws by shoring up strategies ranging from mapping electronic protected health information to building a better compliance culture, says Suzanne Natbony at Aliant Law.

  • Despite Rule Delay, FTC Scrutiny Looms For Subscriptions

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    Even though the Federal Trade Commission has delayed its click-to-cancel rule that introduces strict protocols for auto-renewing subscriptions, businesses should expect active enforcement of the new requirements after July, and look to the FTC's recent lawsuits against Uber and Cleo AI as warnings, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 3 Corporate Deposition Prep Tips To Counter 'Reptile' Tactics

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    With plaintiffs counsel’s rising use of reptile strategies that seek to activate jurors' survival instincts, corporate deponents face an increased risk of being lulled into providing testimony that undercuts a key defense or sets up the plaintiff's case strategy at trial, making it important to consider factors like cross-examination and timing, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Class Standing Issues Still Murky After Justices Punt LabCorp

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    While litigants and district courts had hoped the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in LabCorp v. Davis would provide much-needed clarity on the interplay between Article III standing and class certification, the court's failure to rule on the issue leaves disagreement, confusion and uncertainty for stakeholders, says Erica Rutner at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Ore. Coinbase Case Charts New Path For State Crypto Suits

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    Oregon's recent lawsuit against Coinbase serves as a reminder for the crypto industry that not all states will simply defer to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's evolving stance on crypto-assets, highlighting why stakeholders should proactively assess the risks posed by state-level litigation and develop strategies to address distinct challenges, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • AGs Take Up Consumer Protection Mantle Amid Ƶ Cuts

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    State attorneys general are stepping up to fill the enforcement gap as the Trump administration restructures the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, creating a new regulatory dynamic that companies must closely monitor as oversight shifts toward states, say attorneys at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Va.'s Altered Surcharge Law Poses Constitutional Questions

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    Virginia's recently amended consumer protection law requiring sellers to display the total price rather than expressly prohibiting surcharges follows New York's recent revision of its antisurcharge statute and may raise similar First Amendment questions, says attorneys at Stinson.

  • Series

    Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.

  • Fed's Crypto Guidance Yank Could Drive Innovation

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    The Federal Reserve Board's recent withdrawal of guidance letters brings regulatory consistency and broadens banks' ability to innovate in the crypto-asset space, but key distinctions remain between the Fed's policy on crypto liquidity and that of the other banking regulators, says Dan Hartman at Nutter.

  • GM Case Highlights New Trends In AI-Related Securities Suits

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    Bold company statements about artificial intelligence have resulted in a rise in AI-related securities litigation, and a recent Michigan federal court decision in In Re: General Motors Co. Securities Litigation illustrates how courts are analyzing these AI-based claims and applying traditional securities concepts to new technologies, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Attacks On Judicial Independence Tend To Manifest In 3 Ways

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    Attacks on judicial independence now run the gamut from gross (bald-faced interference) to systemic (structural changes) to insidious (efforts to undermine public trust), so lawyers, judges and the public must recognize the fateful moment in which we live and defend the rule of law every day, says Jim Moliterno at Washington and Lee University.

  • Statistics Tools Chart A Path For AI Use In Expert Testimony

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    To avoid the fate of numerous expert witnesses whose testimony was recently deemed inadmissible by courts, experts relying on artificial intelligence and machine learning should learn from statistical tools’ road to judicial acceptance, say directors at Secretariat.

  • Compliance Refresher For 'Made In USA' Labeling Claims

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    As tariffs reshape the trade landscape, companies hoping to invoke the powerful consumer appeal of “Made in USA” labels must understand the strict rules for making acceptable claims so they avoid the costly legal ramifications and brand damage possible from misrepresenting products as 100% American, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 4 Strategies For De-Escalating Hospitality Industry Disputes

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    As recent uncertainty in the travel business exacerbates the risk of conflict in the hospitality sector, industry in-house counsel and their outside partners should consider proactive strategies aimed at de-escalating disputes, including preserving the record, avoiding boilerplate clauses and considering arbitration, say Randa Adra at Crowell and Stephanie Jean-Jacques at Hyatt.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Appreciating Civil Procedure

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    If you’re like me, law school’s often complex and theoretical approach to teaching civil procedure may have contributed to an early struggle with the topic, but when seen from a practical perspective, new lawyers may find they enjoy mastering these rules, says Chloe Villagomez at Foster Garvey.

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