Consumer Protection

  • January 16, 2026

    NC Judge Mulls Pausing Veterans' Fee Fight Amid Appeal

    A North Carolina federal judge signaled she would consider a request to pause a class action accusing a consulting business of charging veterans illegal fees for disability claim filing assistance during an appeal of her class certification ruling.

  • January 15, 2026

    Musk Child's Mom Says Grok Created Nonconsensual Images

    Influencer Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Elon Musk's children, has sued Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI, claiming she was depicted in sexually explicit imagery generated by Grok without her consent and that xAI has "chosen to willfully turn a blind eye and even celebrate" similar sexual exploitation.

  • January 15, 2026

    Container Co. Must Face Trimmed Suit Over 2023 Data Breach

    A Georgia federal judge on Thursday found that current and former employees suing a major plastic container manufacturer over a 2023 data breach had adequately alleged a concrete injury traceable to the incident but had failed to sufficiently plead three of their four claims, leaving the dispute to proceed with a single negligence claim intact.

  • January 15, 2026

    NCAA Urges Feds, States To Rein In College Sports Wagers

    The NCAA has urged a federal regulator to suspend prediction market trades based on college sports until appropriate safeguards are in place and called on state gambling commissions to restrict certain types of wagers, saying it knows they are being manipulated.

  • January 15, 2026

    Xreal Accuses Smart Glasses Rival Of Patent Infringement

    Chinese-owned smart glasses maker Xreal on Thursday filed a lawsuit in Texas federal court against rival Viture Inc., accusing it of being a latecomer to the market and choosing a "shortcut" of patent infringement with its competing products. 

  • January 15, 2026

    Wash. Anti-Spam Law Not Federally Preempted, Judge Rules

    A Seattle federal judge has shot down Nike Inc.'s effort to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the sportswear giant of sending false or misleading marketing emails to shoppers in Washington, ruling that the state's Commercial Electronic Mail Act is not preempted by federal law.

  • January 15, 2026

    Epic CEO, Google Execs To Testify At Play Store Deal Hearing

    Epic Games and Google plan to call Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, an economist, a Google executive and in-house counsel during an upcoming evidentiary hearing into their proposed Android app distribution settlement, which has drawn skepticism from the judge, who has appointed an economist to independently evaluate the deal.

  • January 15, 2026

    Bang Energy Co. Founder's Bid To Avoid Paying $308M Denied

    A Florida federal judge denied a motion brought by the founder of the company that makes Bang energy drinks to avoid paying Monster Beverage Corp. $308 million stemming from a false advertising lawsuit, saying the request must be brought in California. 

  • January 15, 2026

    Dems Push SEC To Pursue Crypto Case Against Justin Sun

    Three House Democrats on Thursday pressed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to reinvigorate its paused enforcement case against Tron founder Justin Sun and address their concerns that the agency's wave of crypto case dismissals coincided with considerable industry donations to President Donald Trump.

  • January 15, 2026

    Cal-Maine Gives Free Eggs To Settle Texas Price Gouging Suit

    Cal-Maine Foods Inc. agreed to fork over 2 million free eggs to the state of Texas to settle claims of illegal price gouging, ending a suit brought by the state alleging Cal-Maine tripled the price of its eggs during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • January 15, 2026

    3M Brings Conn. Town's PFAS Case To Federal Court

    Pointing to immunity defenses for federal contractors and officers, 3M has removed to federal court a Connecticut town's claims that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from a U.S. Army reserve training facility and other sources contaminated local water supplies.

  • January 15, 2026

    Verizon, Calif. Strike Diversity Deal In Frontier Takeover

    California utility regulators approved Verizon's takeover of Frontier Communications' fiber network Thursday, after the wireless giant has reached several agreements to support statewide diversity and digital equity initiatives.

  • January 15, 2026

    Ex-WebAI Engineers Say Demos Were 'Faked' In Major Deals

    WebAI Inc. turned a blind eye to a company leader who not only targeted two successful technology engineers but imperiled high-stakes deals with Qantas Airways and the U.S. Department of Defense by allowing a "fake demo" and inaccurate presentations, former company engineers have told a North Carolina state court.

  • January 15, 2026

    Apple Will Pay $150K To End NJ's Visible Pricing Law Claims

    Apple Inc. will pay the state of New Jersey a $150,000 penalty and alter its business practices to settle claims that its stores did not properly mark merchandise with the total selling prices, violating state law and a consent order from nearly nine years ago, the state attorney general said Thursday.

  • January 15, 2026

    Kia Wants Out Of Pa. Suit Over Engine Defects

    Kia America Inc. on Wednesday urged a Pennsylvania federal judge to toss a proposed class action brought over an alleged engine defect in certain Soul and Seltos vehicles, saying Kia has identified the issue and offered a free repair.

  • January 15, 2026

    Tinder's $60.5M Deal For Charging Users Over 29 More OK'd

    A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has granted preliminary approval to a $60.5 million settlement Tinder reached with a class of users who alleged the dating app unlawfully charged subscribers age 30 and older more than younger daters, drawing the decade-long litigation to a close.

  • January 15, 2026

    Crypto Lender Nexo Fined $500K For Unlicensed Loans

    The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation announced that crypto-backed loan company Nexo Capital Inc. will pay a $500,000 penalty to settle claims it did not have a valid license when making its high-risk loans to California residents.

  • January 15, 2026

    Civil Rights Groups Fight Relaxed Media Ownership Regs

    Groups representing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders urged the Federal Communications Commission not to allow media companies to further expand their ownership of local broadcasters, citing the need to protect viewpoint diversity and consumers.

  • January 15, 2026

    Jordan Rookie Card Was 'Crap,' Buyer Says At Seller's Trial

    A longtime sports trading card merchant told a Manhattan federal jury Thursday that two men accused of perpetrating a $2 million scam sold him a faked mint-condition Michael Jordan rookie card as part of a $260,000 deal.

  • January 15, 2026

    5th Circ. Rejects Challenge To Texas LNG Construction Delay

    The Fifth Circuit greenlighted work on a liquefied natural gas terminal in the Port of Brownsville, Texas, saying state regulators followed the correct rule when granting a third construction deadline extension for the project.

  • January 14, 2026

    Vox Media Sues Google, Adding To Ad Tech Antitrust Suits

    Google was hit Wednesday with yet another antitrust lawsuit over its ad tech, this time by Vox Media, which alleged in Manhattan federal court that the tech giant is unlawfully monopolizing the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets.

  • January 14, 2026

    FTC Says Payments Co. Should Pay $53M For Violating Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission has asked a Nevada federal judge to order a payment processor and two of its executives to pay over $52.9 million for consumer relief after allegedly violating terms of its 2015 settlement of the regulator's claims it willfully facilitated payments for bad actors.

  • January 14, 2026

    Call Vendors Skirt Wiretap Suit Over AI Transcription Tool

    An Illinois federal judge has released dental support organization Heartland Dental LLC and its contractor from a proposed class action accusing them of illegally using an artificial intelligence-powered note-taking tool to record and analyze patient calls, finding that they couldn't be held liable because their alleged electronic interceptions were made for legitimate business purposes.

  • January 14, 2026

    Dover Launches RICO Suit Over Skyrocketing Insulin Prices

    Manufacturing conglomerate Dover Corp. hit insulin manufacturers including Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk and several pharmacy benefit managers with civil racketeering claims in Illinois federal court, accusing them of participating in an illegal scheme that allowed prices to rise dramatically in exchange for preferential treatment on the benefit managers' formularies.

  • January 14, 2026

    Calif. Again Asks 9th Circ. To Unleash Kids' Privacy Law

    California's attorney general was back before the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday, urging the court to vacate a new preliminary injunction blocking a landmark law requiring tech giants to bolster privacy protections for children, and arguing the lower court wrongly found the entire statute likely implicates the First Amendment.

Expert Analysis

  • Compliance Tips Amid Rising FTC Scrutiny Of Minors' Privacy

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    The Federal Trade Commission has recently rolled out multiple enforcement actions related to children's privacy, highlighting a renewed focus on federal regulation of minors' personal information and the evolving challenges of establishing effective, privacy-protective age assurance solutions, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Tips For Cos. Crafting Enforceable Online Arbitration Clauses

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    Recent rulings from the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California indicate that courts are carefully examining the enforceability of online arbitration clauses, so businesses should review the design of their websites and consider specific language next to the "purchase" button, say attorneys at DTO Law.

  • Who Will Regulate Insider Trading In Prediction Markets?

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    The possibilities for insider trading have greatly expanded in the brave new world of prediction markets, and both the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and U.S. Department of Justice could bring enforcement actions in the space, so businesses should revisit their insider trading and confidential information policies, say attorneys at Fenwick.

  • Identifying The Sources And Impacts Of Juror Contamination

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    Jury contamination can be pervasive, so it is important that trial teams be able to spot its sources and take specific mitigation steps, says consultant Clint Townson.

  • 7 Lessons From The Tractor Supply CCPA Enforcement Action

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    The California Privacy Protection Agency's recent enforcement action targeting Tractor Supply for alleged violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act provides critical insights into the compliance areas that remain a priority for the California regulator, including businesses with significant consumer interactions, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Federal Debanking Scrutiny Prompts Compliance Questions

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    Recent U.S. Small Business Administration guidance sets forth requirements for preventing so-called politicized debanking and specific additional instructions for small lenders, but falls short on clarity for larger institutions, leaving lenders of all sizes with questions as they navigate this unique compliance challenge, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • New Mass. 'Junk Fee' Regs Will Be Felt Across Industries

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    The reach of a newly effective regulation prohibiting so-called junk fees and deceptive pricing in Massachusetts will be widespread across industries, which should prompt businesses to take note of new advertising, pricing information and negative option requirements, say attorneys at Hinshaw.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • What 9th Circ.'s Rosenwald Ruling Means For Class Actions

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Rosenwald v. Kimberly-Clark has important implications around the Class Action Fairness Act and traditional diversity jurisdiction — both for plaintiff-side and defense-side class action litigators — and deepens the circuit split concerning the use of judicial notice to establish diversity, says Grace Schmidt at DTO Law.

  • What's At Stake In Justices' Merits Hearing Of FTC Firing

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    In December, the U.S. Supreme Court will review President Donald Trump's firing of Democratic Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, a decision that will implicate a 90-year-old precedent and, depending on its breadth, could have profound implications for presidential authority over independent agencies, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Dropped Case Shows SEC Focus On Independent Directors

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent liquidity rule case against Pinnacle Advisors, despite its dismissal by the commission, serves as a reminder that the SEC expects directors to embrace their role as active, probing fiduciaries, says Dianne Descoteaux at MFDF.

  • Addressing Legal Risks Of AI In The Homebuilding Industry

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    Artificial intelligence is transforming the homebuilding industry, but the legal challenges posed by its adoption spread across many areas, including contractual liability and intellectual property issues, so builders should adopt strategies to mitigate the risks and position themselves for success, says Philip Stein at Bilzin Sumberg.

  • Compliance Steps To Take As FCRA Enforcement Widens

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    As the Fair Credit Reporting Act receives renewed focus from both federal and state enforcers, regulatory and litigation risk is most acute in several core areas, which companies can address by implementing purpose processes and quick remediation of consumer complaints, among other steps, say attorneys at Wiley.

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