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Retail & E-Commerce

  • July 16, 2025

    Avon Insurers Say Ch. 11 Was Filed In 'Bad Faith'

    A group of insurance carriers that issued coverage to Avon has asked the Delaware bankruptcy court to dismiss or convert the cosmetics company's Chapter 11 case, arguing the debtor filed its petition in "bad faith" and lacks a valid purpose for the bankruptcy.

  • July 16, 2025

    Refused NFL Goods Sale Not Antitrust Harm, Judge Says

    An online merchant blocked from selling licensed NFL merchandise on Amazon.com and Walmart.com by league policies restricting online sales to approved retailers has two weeks to fix its proposed class action claims after a New York federal judge said that the contested restrictions do not trigger U.S. antitrust law.

  • July 16, 2025

    Kratom Seltzers 'Addictive,' Wash. Class Suit Alleges

    A proposed class of kratom product buyers is suing Mitra-9 Brands LLC in Washington federal court, alleging that the company knew — but failed to warn customers — that the products are addictive in the same way as opioids and can cause withdrawal symptoms.

  • July 15, 2025

    Auto Dealership Software Biz Must Face Rival's Monopoly Suit

    A California federal judge Tuesday denied Texas tech company CDK Global's bid to dismiss a lawsuit accusing it of cornering the auto dealership management software market, saying its rival, Tekion, plausibly alleged that CDK holds a monopoly power and made it hard for dealerships to switch to competing platforms.

  • July 15, 2025

    Pool Supply Co. Escapes Investor Suit Over COVID-Era Sales

    Arizona-based pool supply company Leslie's Inc. won dismissal, for now, of an investor class action led by North Carolina's state treasurer that alleged the company botched disclosures about waning demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the court finding the allegations failed to state a claim for federal securities law violations.

  • July 15, 2025

    'NJ Weedman' Can Proceed With Suit Over City Hall Protest

    The city of Trenton, New Jersey, can't escape a lawsuit filed by a cannabis advocate known as NJWeedman who claims the municipality violated his First Amendment rights by retaliating against him after he projected a "Batman-like" protest message on City Hall, a federal judge ruled, saying it might be "annoying" but it is protected speech.

  • July 15, 2025

    FTC Says Merger Penalty Deal In The Works With 7-Eleven

    The Federal Trade Commission is inching closer to a settlement with 7-Eleven in its suit seeking to slap the convenience store chain with a $77.5 million penalty for violating a settlement that it inked with the agency in order to get a merger approved back in 2018.

  • July 15, 2025

    Consumers Say Apple's Bid To End App Store Case Will Fail

    A massive class of consumers accusing Apple of monopolizing the distribution of apps on its devices has told a California federal court the tech giant's planned summary judgment bid should be rejected because there's evidence showing harm to both users and developers.

  • July 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Nature's Way Loss In Supplements TM Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower court's finding that a Doctor's Best Inc. brand of supplements didn't infringe a trademark of competitor Nature's Way Products LLC because the Doctor's Best products were all sold outside the U.S.

  • July 15, 2025

    FCC Drops 'Single Seller' Marketing Reg After 11th Circ. Ruling

    The Federal Communications Commission has plucked from the books a rule requiring individual consumer consent for companies to contact customers through comparison shopping sites after the Eleventh Circuit declared the regulation an overstep.

  • July 15, 2025

    Fizz Social Loses Bid To Block Instacart's 'Fizz' Drink App

    A California federal judge has denied social media platform Fizz Social Corp.'s bid for a preliminary injunction in its trademark infringement and anti-cybersquatting lawsuit accusing Instacart and Partiful of ripping off its "FIZZ" mark to launch a rival "Fizz" beverage-delivery app that targets the so-called Gen Z demographic.

  • July 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Axing Of IT Co.'s Microsoft Data Misuse Case

    The Ninth Circuit declined Tuesday to revive a cybersecurity supplier's case accusing Microsoft of misusing a proprietary database of login credentials recovered on the black market, concluding that the parties' contract did not impose limits on the tech giant's use of the data.

  • July 15, 2025

    Weedmaps, SPAC Officers Want Out Of Investor SEC Fine Suit

    Cannabis tech company Weedmaps Technology Inc. and leaders of a blank check company that it merged with have asked to be released from an investor's proposed class action alleging damages following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's announcement that it fined Weedmaps $1.5 million for allegedly making misleading statements about its monthly active users.

  • July 15, 2025

    Kirkland Tops M&A League Tables In First Half Of 2025

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP was the top mergers and acquisitions legal adviser both globally and in North America during the first half of 2025, as measured by both value and transaction numbers, league table data from GlobalData showed Tuesday. 

  • July 15, 2025

    NYC's Suit Against Flavored E-Cig Sellers Can Continue

    A Manhattan federal judge on Monday rejected a bid by eight vape wholesalers to toss an action brought by New York City alleging the companies flooded the city with flavored e-cigarettes in violation of federal, state and local law.

  • July 15, 2025

    Car Buyer Wants Class Cert. Over VIN Etching Price

    A Connecticut state court should grant class certification to more than 3,100 customers of the Milford-based Nissan dealership Napoli Motors Inc. on claims that its $299 charge for a service known as VIN etching violates a state law requiring "reasonable rates," the named plaintiff said in a new motion.

  • July 15, 2025

    Frito-Lay Settles Flamin' Hot Cheetos Defamation Suit

    Frito-Lay Inc. and a former employee have reached a settlement Monday in his suit claiming he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos and had his livelihood destroyed when the company disavowed his story, according to a Monday filing in California federal court.

  • July 15, 2025

    Class Action Targets Archery Cos. For Alleged Price-Fixing

    A Tennessee man alleged a vast scheme to fix prices on archery goods in a proposed class action in federal court Monday, naming the sport's top trade association, manufacturers and retailers as key figures in the decade-long conspiracy.

  • July 15, 2025

    PVC Pipe Buyers Seek Initial OK Of $6M Deal In Antitrust Row

    Counsel for two classes of purchasers of polyvinyl chloride pipe urged an Illinois federal judge Tuesday to grant preliminary approval to two $3 million settlements resolving their antitrust claims against an analytics service allegedly used in a conspiracy by PVC pipe makers to inflate the price of their products.

  • July 15, 2025

    Small Carriers Caught Off Guard By Demand-Free T-Mobile OK

    Rural wireless carriers appeared stunned by the feds' recent decision to let T-Mobile absorb most of UScellular without setting new requirements meant to protect their service areas, but they aren't the only ones dismayed by the turn of events.

  • July 14, 2025

    Inspire Brands Hires Ex-Yum! Brands Exec As Its CLO

    Inspire Brands, the company that owns franchises such restaurant chains as Arby's, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin' and Jimmy John's, announced Monday that it has hired a former long-time executive with fast-food giant Yum! Brands as its new chief legal and administrative officer.

  • July 14, 2025

    Vape Groups Urge 4th Circ. To Stall NC E-Cigarette Law

    Vape interests are urging the Fourth Circuit to temporarily stop North Carolina officials from enforcing a law that could prevent the sale of many types of e-cigarettes in the state, claiming the statute was pushed by "Big Tobacco" company Reynolds American Inc. and targets products that help people quit smoking.

  • July 14, 2025

    Noem Seeks Win In Suit Over SD Ban On Intoxicating Hemp

    South Dakota's former governor, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and current attorney general urged a federal judge on Monday to deliver a quick win to officials in a dispute over a law banning the processing of hemp derivatives into intoxicating products

  • July 14, 2025

    Court Says Insider Trading Rules Unscathed By Loper Bright

    A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that curtailed deference to agency interpretations of law did not undermine the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's rules against insider trading, a Pennsylvania federal court ruled Friday.

  • July 14, 2025

    Nipple Cover Co., Customer Agree To Drop False Ad Suit

    The woman behind a lawsuit accusing Cakes Body LLC of making reusable nipple covers that don't live up to their "grippy, not sticky" representations has quietly dropped her proposed class claims against the company in California federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

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    New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Texas Ruling Emphasizes Limits Of Franchisors' Liability

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    The Texas Supreme Court's recent ruling in Massage Heights Franchising v. Hagman, holding that a franchisor was not liable to a customer for the actions of a franchisee's employee, helps clarify the relative roles and responsibilities of the parties in such situations — and the limits of franchisors' duty of care, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication

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    As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.

  • When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility

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    As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Prior Art Ruling Highlights Importance Of Detailed Elaboration

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent decision in Ecto World v. RAI Strategic Holdings shows that when there is a possibility for discretionary denial, and the examiner has potentially overlooked prior art, patent owners should elaborate on as many of the denial factors as possible, says Frank Bernstein at Squire Patton.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Appellate Guidance Needed On California Chatbot Litigation

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    There is wide variation in how courts are applying the California Invasion of Privacy Act against website owners that allegedly help third parties spy on visitors via chatbots — and the lack of appellate rulings creates uncertainty, especially as these cases move toward the summary judgment stage, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco Shows Why Attys Must Disclose AI Use

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    The recent revelation that a handful of questions from the controversial California bar exam administered in February were drafted using generative artificial intelligence demonstrates the continued importance of disclosure for attorneys who use AI tools, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Opinion

    Anti-Counterfeiting Efforts Must Hold China Accountable

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    As the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development drafts guidelines for combating counterfeit goods, U.S. representatives must be frank about the need to hold Chinese platforms accountable for their role in counterfeiting — and specific about the changes that will be required, says Eli Clemens at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

  • Securing IP Protection For AI Avatars

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    As artificial intelligence avatars play an ever-expanding role in sales, operations and entertainment, companies must plan for intellectual property protection for these brand assets as their control will turn on the nuances of their creation and use, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

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