Consumer Protection

  • May 19, 2026

    Shoppers Seek Fees At 9th Circ. For Kroger, Albertsons Fight

    Counsel for grocery store consumers urged the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to find they substantially prevailed in their proposed class action challenging Kroger's since-abandoned $24.6 billion bid for Albertsons and are entitled to attorney fees, arguing that the lower court wrongly concluded the case was mooted by other federal actions blocking the merger.

  • May 19, 2026

    Amazon Keeps Tenn. Sales Tax Suit In Wash. Federal Court

    A Tennessee shopper's proposed class action accusing Amazon of collecting excessive sales tax will remain in Washington federal court, a Seattle judge ruled Monday, concluding that the case's value "more likely than not" exceeds a $5 million threshold under the federal Class Action Fairness Act.

  • May 19, 2026

    Quinn Emanuel Owes More Sanctions In Guardant Fight

    Quinn Emanuel and its team representing medical testing company Natera will shoulder further sanctions on top of the $3 million already imposed over the firm's misrepresentations concerning an expert witness in Guardant Health's false advertising case, a California federal judge ruled Tuesday.

  • May 19, 2026

    Monsanto To Pay Mich., RI Up To $302M Over PCB Pollution

    Monsanto has reached multimillion-dollar deals with Michigan and Rhode Island to end claims that the company contaminated waterways and natural resources with polychlorinated biphenyls, agreeing to pay the states as much as $240 million and $62 million, respectively, with most of that money contingent on how the company recovers from separate lawsuits.

  • May 19, 2026

    Trump Banking Orders Boost Fintechs, Block Immigrants

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a pair of executive orders aimed at preventing undocumented immigrant workers from using the U.S. financial system and expanding financial technology firms' access to Federal Reserve payment accounts and services.

  • May 19, 2026

    Toxicologist Denies J&J Wanted To 'Control' Talc Study

    A former Johnson & Johnson toxicologist denied the company controlled a 1970s study of talc miners by insisting "you do not control" people like the professor behind the study, in a video deposition shown Tuesday to a California jury considering bellwether claims the company's talc products caused deadly ovarian cancer in three women.

  • May 19, 2026

    Calif. Urges 9th Circ. To Revive Pay-For-Delay Restrictions

    California urged a Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday to find a Golden State law that bans drugmakers from cutting deals out of state that pay to delay generics competition doesn't violate the U.S. Constitution, arguing that ruling otherwise could jeopardize many longstanding state laws that regulate out-of-state conduct.

  • May 19, 2026

    Premiums To Struggling Insurer Are 'Debts,' Conn. Panel Told

    PHL Variable Insurance Co. life insurance policyholders on Tuesday accused Connecticut's interim insurance commissioner of bankrolling the struggling insurer's rehabilitation by receiving millions without guaranteeing at least some payout, urging a state appeals court to reverse a trial judge's conclusion that premiums are not "debts."

  • May 19, 2026

    Trump Admin Asks 9th Circ. To Revive Voter Data Suits

    Federal prosecutors urged the Ninth Circuit Tuesday to revive lawsuits against California and Oregon claiming states are required to hand over voter registration lists that include driver's license and Social Security numbers, saying the data would be used to look for noncitizens and others not eligible to vote.

  • May 19, 2026

    Feds Seek To Drop Emissions Case For 2 Ex-Fiat Managers

    Federal prosecutors moved to dismiss a superseding indictment charging former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles managers with deceiving regulators about the emissions controls and fuel efficiency for more than 100,000 cars sold in the U.S., according to a brief filed Tuesday in Michigan federal court.

  • May 19, 2026

    Skechers Can't Kick Wash. Antispam Class Suit, Judge Rules

    A Washington federal judge rejected Skechers USA Inc.'s effort to throw out a proposed class action accusing the footwear giant of blasting state residents with unsolicited and misleading spam emails, ruling Tuesday that Washington's antispam law is consistent with federal law.

  • May 19, 2026

    4th Circ. Revives Freight Broker Suit After High Court Ruling

    The Fourth Circuit on Monday revived a South Carolina widow's lawsuit alleging that freight broker Echo Global Logistics negligently selected the trucking company involved in the 2022 accident that killed her husband, days after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling established that freight brokers can face state-based tort claims.

  • May 19, 2026

    Judge Lets Cop Press Sig Sauer Gun Defect Claims

    A Texas federal judge on Tuesday kept intact a Houston police officer's suit alleging his SIG Sauer pistol fired a bullet into his leg while holstered, denying the gunmaker's bid to strike or dismiss certain parts of the suit.

  • May 19, 2026

    Students Defend Hacking Claims Against UMich, Ex-Coach

    The students accusing the University of Michigan and a former football coach of sexual harassment and of hacking their accounts insist that the facts favor them and not the school and coach, and that their lawsuit should be allowed to continue.

  • May 19, 2026

    Sen. Warren Presses OCC On Crypto Trust Charter Approvals

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is demanding Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould share documents and communications related to the approval of national trust charters for cryptocurrency firms, which Warren argues are "seemingly ineligible" since the firms' business plans appear to wade into traditional banking activities.

  • May 19, 2026

    Split 8th Circ. Revives Challenge To NHTSA Brake Light View

    A split Eighth Circuit panel revived a lawsuit Monday by two Arkansas-based distributors of pulsing brake lights, ruling the companies can challenge the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's letters declaring the products illegal and laying out plans to "threaten" customers with fines.

  • May 19, 2026

    Valve's Pivot On Gamer Arbitrations Gives Wash. Judge Pause

    A Washington federal judge Tuesday appeared conflicted over Valve Corp.'s bid for a court order to block hundreds of gamers from arbitrating consumer protection claims, pressing the game developer on its evolving arbitration stance while suggesting users agreed to updated terms requiring such disputes to be resolved in court.

  • May 19, 2026

    DOJ Says Container Makers Fixed Prices During Pandemic

    Four of the world's largest shipping container manufacturers and seven of their current and former executives conspired to restrict production to drive up prices, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday in criminally charging them, although most may be beyond the reach of American courts.

  • May 19, 2026

    Momcozy Hit With Class Action Over Defective Bottle Sterilizer

    Two mothers have hit baby product company Root Technology Ltd. with a proposed class action in New York federal court alleging that the Momcozy brand countertop washer for bottles is defective since the necessary high sterilization temperatures cause plastic parts to break off, creating a choking hazard for infants.

  • May 19, 2026

    Hanna Wants 3rd Circ. To Weigh Homebuyers' Antitrust Suit

    Hanna Holdings Inc. urged a Pennsylvania federal court to let the Third Circuit weigh in on the lower court's dismissal orders for a proposed antitrust class action that accuses the real estate brokerage of conspiring with other parties to artificially inflate buyer-broker commission fees.

  • May 19, 2026

    TikTok Says 'Market Exploitation' Doesn't Give NC Jurisdiction

    TikTok is pushing the North Carolina Supreme Court to throw out claims by the state's attorney general alleging it deceptively marketed its platform as safe for minors, saying the "market exploitation" theory would in effect allow any business that operates on the internet to be hauled into any state court.

  • May 19, 2026

    Costco Calls Suit Over Tariff Refunds Premature

    Costco urged an Illinois federal court to toss a putative consumer class action seeking to recoup the higher costs that shoppers paid under President Donald Trump's global tariffs, contending that the case is premature in the wake of uncertain corporate refunds. 

  • May 19, 2026

    CFTC Sues Minnesota Over Law Banning Prediction Markets

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued Minnesota on Tuesday to block a newly enacted ban on prediction markets, the sixth state the CFTC has taken to federal court to assert control over regulation of the markets.

  • May 19, 2026

    States Sue Over Student Loan Limits On Professional Degrees

    A coalition of 24 attorneys general and two governors are challenging a rule recently promulgated by the U.S. Department of Education, alleging in a complaint in Maryland federal court Tuesday that it unlawfully limits access to federal student loans for those pursuing professional degree programs.

  • May 19, 2026

    Audi Sued By Drivers Over Alleged Water Pump Defect

    Audi drivers hit the automotive giant with a proposed class action in New Jersey federal court Tuesday over what they describe as a defectively designed water pump in some vehicles that causes coolant loss and possible engine failure, which the company refuses to cover repairs by denying warranty coverage. 

Expert Analysis

  • Recent Benchmarking Suits Highlight DOJ Enforcement Risks

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlements with RealPage and Agri Stats inform the level of antitrust risk surrounding the use of benchmarking services and suggest an aggressive enforcement approach, particularly with respect to granular data and nonprice data reporting, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • Becoming The Biz-Savvy GC That Portfolio Companies Need

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    Candidates for general counsel roles at private equity-backed portfolio companies should prioritize proving their sector-specific experience, commercial judgment and ease with uncertainty — and attorneys hoping to be candidates in five to 10 years should start working on those skills now, says Dimitri Mastrocola at Major Lindsey.

  • AI Agents Will Test The Bounds Of Expert Witness Rules

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    Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence does not address whether a testifying expert must be human, but as the rule’s amended admissibility framework intersects with the accelerating capabilities of agentic AI, courts may be forced to confront whether AI-generated expertise fits within existing evidentiary doctrine, says Steven Cordero at Akerman.

  • Reel Justice: 'Project Hail Mary' Can Aid Cross-Examination

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    In the new science fiction film, "Project Hail Mary," a character understood that survival depended on eliminating ambiguity — a useful lesson that trial lawyers can implement by asking statements that are delivered in the form of a question during cross-examination, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University.

  • AI-Proofing Class Action Notices From Pro Se Objection Surge

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    Class action practitioners should prepare for a likely surge in artificial intelligence-enabled pro se objections by implementing several practical strategies to navigate this shift, says Britany Wessan at Almeida Law Group.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • What Jury Holdouts Can Teach Trial Lawyers About Strategy

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    Though a hung jury can be a disappointment, a psychological understanding of jury holdouts can help trial lawyers shape their damages arguments and understand leadership and group composition as a function of jury selection, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

  • 4th Circ. Ruling Will Rewrite Class Action Litigation Strategies

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    The Fourth Circuit's recent decision in Oliver v. Navy Federal Credit Union is the first from a federal circuit court to hold that motions to strike are inappropriate vehicles for challenging class allegations at the pleading stage, invalidating a tactic that had been used for decades, says Jim Francis at Francis Mailman.

  • AI Investment Advice May Fail Investor Protection Rules

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    Based on an ongoing study of artificial intelligence platforms' investment advice given to retail investors, direct access to AI may not yield recommendations for typical households that are suitable under relevant securities rules, raising new and important issues in the regulation of financial markets, says Bruce Carlin at Rice University.

  • Food Kiosk Merger Offers FTC Insights For Dealmakers

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent approval of 365 Retail Markets' merger with fellow food-kiosk provider Cantaloupe balances structural divestiture with behavioral provisions, emphasizing the role of early engagement by the parties and the importance of tailored remedies in concentrated markets, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • AG Watch: Reconciling 2 Maryland Data Privacy Statutes

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    In-house counsel should map the interplay between the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act's strictly necessary standard to deliver a requested service, and the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act's exemption of consent-based pricing within loyalty programs, before the state attorney general begins enforcement on the latter in October, says Erek Barron at Mintz.

  • Nexstar Offers A Cautionary Tale On State-Level Deal Scrutiny

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    State-enforcement challenges to the $6.2 billion Nexstar-Tegna merger remind legal practitioners that federal approval isn't always sufficient to deliver certainty on closing, integration and timetable assumptions, says Brett Story at Britehorn Securities.

  • How 'Bundling' Enforcement Is Parsing Efficiency, Access

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    Recent antitrust enforcement actions have taken a selective view of companies' bundling of products or services — challenging it when it shuts out rivals, but tolerating it when it creates efficient scale — making the real test now less about lower prices than about whether competition is being blocked, says attorney Alan Kusinitz.

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