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Consumer Protection

  • July 31, 2025

    Vistra Pays $38M To End FERC Market Manipulation Case

    Vistra Corp. has agreed to pay $38 million to end long-running Federal Energy Regulatory Commission litigation alleging that affiliate Dynegy Inc. manipulated electricity capacity auction rules in 2015, which led to consumers being unjustly overcharged.

  • July 31, 2025

    4th Circ. Says Brokers Owe Atty Fees Over Case Removal Row

    A unanimous Fourth Circuit panel has affirmed a South Carolina federal judge's order requiring several financial firms to pay more than $63,000 in legal fees for improperly trying to remove a securities class action to federal court for a second time, but said they don't have to pay additional fees to cover the cost of the appeal.

  • July 31, 2025

    Full FCC Hearing Sought On T-Mobile, UScellular Tie-Up

    Several trade and public interest groups urged the Federal Communications Commission to hold a full agency review of T-Mobile's plan to take over most of UScellular after FCC staff gave the deal a green light almost three weeks ago.

  • July 31, 2025

    Home Sellers Defend $110M In Broker Fee Deals To 8th Circ.

    Home sellers are defending $110 million in settlements cut with several real estate brokerages in the sprawling litigation targeting the National Association of Realtors' broker commission rules from objections in a series of Eighth Circuit appeals.

  • July 31, 2025

    Conn. Atty Pins Failed Redaction On Tech In Gunmaker Suit

    A third party's ability to bypass redactions and view protected documents was due to a software issue, a Connecticut civil litigator has told a federal judge, urging the court not to authorize sanctions for what he said was a "good faith" effort at redacting filings amid his dueling lawsuits with gunmaker Sig Sauer.

  • July 31, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Google's Play Store Antitrust Trial Loss

    A Ninth Circuit panel Thursday affirmed Epic Games' 2023 antitrust jury trial win, along with an injunction requiring Google to open its Google Play Store to rivals, backing a landmark finding that Google monopolized the Android app-distribution market.

  • July 31, 2025

    Split 3rd Circ. Expels Rutgers MBA Fraud Suit Over Standing

    The plaintiff leading a proposed class action against Rutgers University for allegedly cooking its MBA rankings by fudging job placement statistics doesn't have standing because he was in a different part-time certificate program, a split Third Circuit has ruled, affirming a New Jersey federal court's decision.

  • July 31, 2025

    Meta Faces EU Probe Into WhatsApp AI Tying Allegations

    Italian antitrust enforcers are opening an investigation into Meta, saying that the company may have run afoul of anti-bundling laws by tying its dominant WhatsApp messaging service with its new Meta AI assistant.

  • July 31, 2025

    Mercedes-Benz Can't Escape All Of Wood Veneer Crack Suit

    A Georgia federal judge won't dismiss the bulk of a proposed class action alleging that Mercedes-Benz Group AG sold vehicles with defective wooden trim veneer that cracked after extended use, leaving 11 of the 18 counts in the amended complaint alive.

  • July 31, 2025

    Fintech, BofA, JPMorgan Face Class Suit Over Cyberattack

    Financial software company Finastra Technology Inc., Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase Bank NA face a proposed class action alleging they failed to properly safeguard customers' personal information that was exposed by a data breach.

  • July 30, 2025

    Sens. Step Up Push For Data Privacy Law Amid AI's Rise

    The leaders of a Senate data privacy subcommittee Wednesday put the spotlight back on longstanding efforts to craft a nationwide framework for how companies use and disclose consumers' personal information, arguing that a growing state law patchwork and the rise of artificial intelligence accelerated the need for such protections.

  • July 30, 2025

    Flo Likely To Get Health Privacy Claim Tossed In Meta Case

    The California federal judge overseeing a trial on allegations that Flo Health and Meta Platforms Inc. violated the privacy of millions of women who used Flo's period tracker app said Wednesday he'd likely toss the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act claim, saying the lack of evidence is an "unsurmountable" problem.

  • July 30, 2025

    White House Crypto Report Sets Blueprint For Coming Rules

    A long-awaited report from the President's Working Group on Digital Asset Markets that was released Wednesday encouraged securities and derivatives regulators to use their existing authorities to clear the way for crypto issuance and trading in the absence of lasting legislation, while also urging banking regulators to sharpen standards for crypto engagement.

  • July 30, 2025

    E-Commerce Firms To Pay $15M To End FTC's AI Scam Claims

    A New Jersey-based network of e-commerce coaching firms will pay more than $15 million to end a Federal Trade Commission suit accusing it of duping consumers out of nearly $16 million through false promises of AI-driven success on e-commerce platforms, according to a federal court order filed Wednesday.

  • July 30, 2025

    Iowa Slams Schwab's 'Amorphous' Antitrust Compliance Deal

    The state of Iowa is among a slew of objectors to a settlement calling for Charles Schwab Corp. to implement an antitrust compliance program to resolve an investor class action stemming from its merger with TD Ameritrade, arguing the deal is unfair and completely fails to remedy the investors' harm.

  • July 30, 2025

    Connecticut Says 2 Men Sold $2.5M In Fake Cannabis Licenses

    Two Connecticut businessmen ran a counterfeit cannabis licensing operation, selling fake credentials to as many as 70 retailers in the state for as much as $30,000 a certificate, according to a lawsuit filed by state officials who seek a $2.5 million judgment against the accused.

  • July 30, 2025

    State Farm Ordered To Pay $54.6M Over Vehicle Valuations

    State Farm must pay more than $54.6 million across two class actions for underpaying the value of totaled vehicles via a "typical negotiation" deduction, a Washington federal court ruled, noting the plaintiffs provided "undisputed" evidence that State Farm violated the state's Consumer Protection Act.

  • July 30, 2025

    Cash App Parent's $12.5M Spam Text Settlement Gets 1st OK

    A Washington federal judge has granted preliminary approval to Cash App parent Block Inc.'s $12.5 million class action settlement with customers who alleged they were bombarded with "annoying and harassing spam texts" from the company. 

  • July 30, 2025

    TMX Customers Seek Final OK Of $42M Data Breach Suit Deal

    Customers of the title loan and payday lender TMX Finance have asked a Georgia federal judge to grant final approval of their $42 million settlement of claims arising from a data breach that affected an estimated 4.8 million people.

  • July 30, 2025

    Comscore Says Box Office Data TRO In Antitrust Suit Is Bunk

    Media analytics giant Comscore has accused the film distribution and data company that's suing it for box office data monopolization of "gamesmanship," telling a California federal judge it had every right to cancel its contract with Atlas Distribution Co.

  • July 30, 2025

    CVS Can't Arbitrate RICO Suit Over Alleged 'No Generic' Policy

    CVS effectively forfeited its arbitration rights in proposed class action litigation accusing it of conspiring to block Medicare beneficiaries from accessing generic versions of prescription drugs, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled in denying the company's bid to enforce an arbitration agreement.

  • July 30, 2025

    Celsius Cans Accidentally Filled With Vodka Drink, Recall Says

    Alcoholic beverage company High Noon said Tuesday it accidentally got shipped some Celsius energy drink cans, filled them with vodka seltzer and shipped them to retailers in several states, in a recall notice that was also published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

  • July 30, 2025

    Microsoft Browser Rival Asks Brazil To Investigate Tech Titan

    Microsoft has been flexing its power as owner of the world's most dominant computer operating system to make people use its own web browser over those belonging to competitors, one such rival told Brazilian competition authorities.

  • July 30, 2025

    AMC's Status As Movie Theater Sinks Video Data Privacy Suit

    A Kansas federal judge has tossed a proposed class action accusing AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. of unlawfully sharing website visitors' data with Facebook, agreeing with the Ninth Circuit and several district courts that have found that movie theaters aren't covered by the Video Privacy Protection Act. 

  • July 30, 2025

    Cinemark Calls Suit Alleging Exaggerated Beer Size Meritless

    Cinemark USA Inc. asked a Texas federal court to toss a proposed class action alleging that the movie theater company ripped off thirsty moviegoers by advertising 24-ounce beer cups that in reality only contained 22 ounces, saying the plaintiff failed to allege damages over $5 million.

Expert Analysis

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • FDA's Hasty Policymaking Approach Faces APA Challenges

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    Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has abandoned its usual notice-and-comment process for implementing new regulatory initiatives, two recent district court decisions make clear that these programs are still susceptible to Administrative Procedure Act challenges, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • DOJ Crypto Enforcement Is Shifting To Target Willfulness

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    Three pending criminal prosecutions could be an indication of how the U.S. Department of Justice's recent digital assets memo is shaping enforcement of the area, and show a growing focus on executives who knowingly allow their platforms to be used for criminal conduct involving sanctions offenses, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • How NJ's Proposed Privacy Rules Could Reshape AI Data Use

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    Although not revolutionary, New Jersey's proposed privacy rules would create obligations around the management and processing of consumer personal data that will require careful planning before they can be successfully implemented, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Business Takeaways Following CCPA Enforcement Actions

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    Advisories and recent enforcement activity by the California Privacy Protection Agency against Honda and Todd Snyder underscore the agency's enforcement interest in the intersection of data minimization and consumer rights, and could make it more challenging for a business to provide a streamlined consumer rights process, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Compliance Lessons From 1st-Ever Product Safety Sentences

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    A California federal judge’s recent sentencing of two former Gree USA executives in a landmark Consumer Product Safety Act case serves as a reminder of the federal government’s willingness to pursue criminal prosecution of individuals who fail to report safety hazards, as well as companies’ need to strengthen their reporting and compliance programs, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • 9th Circ. Decisions Help Clarify Scope Of Legal Lab Marketing

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    Two Ninth Circuit decisions last week provide a welcome development in clarifying the line between laboratories' legal marketing efforts and undue influence that violates the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, and offer useful guidance for labs seeking to mitigate enforcement risk, says Joshua Robbins at Buchalter.

  • Feds' Shift On Reputational Risk Raises Questions For Banks

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    While banking regulators' recent retreat from reputational risk narrows the scope of federal oversight in some respects, it also raises practical questions about consistency, reputational management and the evolving political landscape surrounding financial services, say attorneys at Smith Anderson.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • FTC Staff Cuts Unlikely To Curb Antitrust Enforcement Agenda

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    While Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson's recent commitment to reducing agency staff may seem at odds with the Trump administration's commitment to antitrust enforcement, a closer analysis shows that such reductions have little chance of derailing the president's efforts, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • What To Expect As UK, US Gov'ts Develop Stablecoin Policies

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    While the U.K. and U.S. governments’ policies both suggest that fiat-backed stablecoins can improve efficiency and safety in payments systems, a perception that crypto-assets remain high risk means consumers are unlikely to use them in significant volume anytime soon, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • Challenging A Class Representative's Adequacy And Typicality

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    Recent cases highlight that a named plaintiff cannot certify a putative class action unless they can meet all the applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, so defendants should consider challenging a plaintiff's ability to meet typicality and adequacy requirements early and often, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • Yacht Broker Case Highlights Industry Groups' Antitrust Risk

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    The Eleventh Circuit recently revived class claims against the International Yacht Brokers Association, signaling that commission-driven industries beyond real estate are vulnerable to antitrust challenges after the National Association of Realtors settled similar allegations last year, says Miles Santiago at the Southern University Law Center and Alex Hebert at Southern Compass.

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