Consumer Protection

  • August 12, 2025

    Calif. Fantasy Sports Losses Not Economic Injury, DraftKings Says

    DraftKings has asked a California federal court to toss a lawsuit accusing the sportsbook of skirting state gambling laws, arguing the plaintiffs have failed to show they suffered a legitimate injury or that the company provided them goods and services.

  • August 12, 2025

    Amazon's 'Dark Patterns' Expert Nixed From FTC Prime Suit

    Amazon.com Inc. is down a key expert witness after a Washington federal judge ruled that an engineering consultant has offered nothing but his expertise and experience to argue the Federal Trade Commission wrongly accuses the retail giant of using "dark patterns" to trick users into Prime subscriptions.

  • August 12, 2025

    Forge Ahead On Cellphone Hearing Aid Rules, FCC Told

    Federal rules need to be updated as soon as possible to align with an upcoming standard for hearing aid compatibility with cellphones, advocates for consumers with hearing loss said.

  • August 12, 2025

    FTC Skeptical Of 'Partial' Sale For GTCR Merger Fix

    The Federal Trade Commission told an Illinois federal court that enforcers are reviewing an offer by private equity firm GTCR BC Holding to sell parts of a medical device coatings company in order to fix concerns raised by the company's planned purchase of Surmodics, but said a full sale is preferable.

  • August 12, 2025

    FCC Urged To Ramp Up Mobile High-Cost Support

    The Federal Communications Commission needs to reform its mobile support rules for subsidizing carriers in largely rural areas, a wireless trade group told the agency.

  • August 12, 2025

    NJ Is Key Battleground In Fight Over Newborn Blood Tests

    Newborn blood screening, a cornerstone of modern public health, is the focus of a debate over patient privacy, parental consent and what happens to the samples after initial tests are complete. A New Jersey court recently weighed in.

  • August 12, 2025

    Petition Seeks FCC Files On Trump-Skydance Meeting

    The head of an artificial intelligence streaming platform called on the Federal Communications Commission to release its findings on his complaint alleging improper lobbying by Skydance Media for its $8 billion merger with Paramount, claiming that Skydance planned an impromptu meeting with President Donald Trump at an April UFC fight.

  • August 12, 2025

    Uber's Tip Led FBI To $5M 'Grandparent Scam' Ring, Feds Say

    A suspicious pattern of Uber trips to banks by older people led the company to contact the FBI, uncovering a multinational "grandparent scam" operation that stole $5 million from at least 400 people, Massachusetts federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

  • August 12, 2025

    Maryland Says It's Immune To Hemp Cos.' Challenge To Regs

    The state of Maryland and its regulators are urging a federal court to toss hemp companies' challenge to a state regulation requiring licenses for intoxicating hemp-derived products, saying the claims are blocked by sovereign immunity under the 11th Amendment.

  • August 11, 2025

    GCI To Pay $10K To End Fed Probe Over Alaska Cable Permit

    Alaska telecom GCI Communication Corp. will have to pay $10,000 for letting the cable landing licenses for one of its undersea cable systems expire, the Federal Communications Commission has announced.

  • August 11, 2025

    Paxos Is Latest Crypto Firm To Seek OCC Bank Charter

    Stablecoin issuer Paxos Trust Co. LLC said Monday that it has applied to become licensed and supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, joining a wave of digital asset firms that are now pursuing U.S. banking charters from the agency.

  • August 11, 2025

    Abbott Shakes Suit Over Meta, Google Data Sharing For Now

    An Illinois federal judge has tossed a proposed class action accusing Abbott Laboratories of unlawfully sharing website visitors' personal data with Meta and Google, finding that the plaintiffs had failed to adequately allege that the medical device provider divulged any individually identifiable health information.

  • August 11, 2025

    GTCR Says Sale, Market Nix FTC Med Tech Merger Concerns

    Private equity firm GTCR BC Holdings urged an Illinois federal judge not to block its planned $627 million purchase of a medical device coatings company, arguing in a brief made public Friday that a planned divestiture fully resolves Federal Trade Commission concerns.

  • August 11, 2025

    Hospital Groups Back Challenge Of Merger Notice Overhaul

    A pair of hospital trade associations threw their support behind a U.S. Chamber of Commerce case challenging the Federal Trade Commission's new premerger filing requirements, telling a Texas federal court the agency was wrong to invoke the hospital industry when justifying the changes.

  • August 11, 2025

    Rural Health Providers Say FCC Subsidy Rules Unclear

    Rural healthcare providers still don't know what is and isn't covered by the Universal Service Fund and could use some clarification and guidance from the Federal Communications Commission, a group has told the agency.

  • August 11, 2025

    Chicago Judge Signals Shift In Handling Counterfeit Cases

    A Chicago federal judge, who earlier this year halted lawsuits in his courtroom that anonymously combined numerous alleged online counterfeiters in single complaints, has concluded that the litigation strategy "should no longer be perpetuated in its present form."

  • August 11, 2025

    FCC Subsidy Foes Again Attack Fund's Quarterly Fees

    Groups that fell short in their drive at the U.S. Supreme Court to have the revenue mechanism for the Universal Service Fund declared unconstitutional are again fighting the quarterly rate at the Federal Communications Commission.

  • August 11, 2025

    DOJ Touts Merger, Rental Algorithm Deals, Eyeing More

    The head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division on Monday touted two recent settlements, in a merger case and in the RealPage algorithmic rent-fixing litigation, as indications that Trump administration enforcers will focus on algorithm-based price-fixing and are willing to "negotiate favorable settlements."

  • August 11, 2025

    Deere Tractor Rivals Get Some Safeguards In FTC Case, MDL

    An Illinois federal judge has denied a motion by three of Deere & Co.'s competitors that were seeking to block distribution of confidential information they had provided to the Federal Trade Commission in its wind-up to an antitrust suit against Deere, but said he would amend existing confidentiality orders with additional safeguards.

  • August 11, 2025

    P&G Must Face Claims Of Unsafe Lead Levels In Tampons

    A California federal judge has refused to dismiss the bulk of a suit alleging the Proctor & Gamble Co. sold tampons that contained amounts of lead beyond what California allows, saying the latest complaint included enough detail about the testing for the case to move forward.

  • August 11, 2025

    AGs Target Voice Providers In 'Operation Robocall Roundup'

    A bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general from across the U.S. is sending warning letters to 37 voice service providers to demand action against illegal robocalls, alleging they flouted Federal Communications Commission rules, according to an announcement Monday.

  • August 11, 2025

    Amazon Must Reveal Research Funding Info In Antitrust Suits

    A Washington federal judge is forcing Amazon to provide a group of consumers with information regarding the company's alleged ties to antitrust researchers, saying the plaintiffs have presented records suggesting it "has communicated with or funded" various academic authors cited by its expert economist in three related cases.

  • August 11, 2025

    Judge Rules NYC Can Enforce Kava Cafe Shutdowns

    A Manhattan federal judge has ruled that New York City public health and safety officials were within their authority to issue shutdown orders to restaurants that served kava, a federally unregulated psychoactive plant derivative.

  • August 11, 2025

    House Lawmakers Probe Antitrust In Sports Broadcasting

    The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is looking into sports broadcasting antitrust concerns, requesting briefings from the country's four largest sports leagues and saying that the 1961 law governing their telecast agreements has expanded an antitrust "blind spot" in today's sports media rights market.

  • August 11, 2025

    Nestlé Faces Suit Over Alleged Child Labor In Supply Chain

    A human rights group is claiming Nestlé has known of child labor being used throughout its West African cocoa supply chain and yet still marketed its "zero tolerance to child labor" policy in a new suit moved to D.C. federal court Friday.

Expert Analysis

  • Why Hiring Former Jurors As Consultants Can Be Risky

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    The defense team's decision to hire former juror Victoria George in the high-profile retrial of Karen Read shines a spotlight on this controversial strategy, which raises important legal, ethical and tactical questions despite not being explicitly prohibited, says Nikoleta Despodova at ND Litigation.

  • The Potential Efficiencies, Risks Of Folding PCAOB Into SEC

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    Integrating the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board into the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission offers the potential for regulatory efficiencies, as well as a more streamlined and consistent enforcement approach, but it also presents constitutional and operational uncertainties, say attorneys at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Companies Crafting Tariff Surcharge Disclosures

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    As the Trump administration imposes tariffs on imports, retail businesses considering itemizing tariff-related costs separately for consumers must ensure that any disclosures are both accurate and defensible to avoid regulatory enforcement or private suits, says Christopher Cole at Katten.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigLaw

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    While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.

  • Top 3 Litigation Finance Deal-Killers, And How To Avoid Them

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    Like all transactions, litigation finance deals can sometimes collapse, but understanding the most common reasons for failure, including a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of deal terms, can help both parties avoid problems, say Rebecca Berrebi at Avenue 33 and Boris Ziser at Schulte Roth.

  • Compliance Lessons From Warby Parker's HIPAA Fine

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    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' civil money penalty against Warby Parker highlights the emerging challenges that consumer-facing brands encounter when expanding into healthcare-adjacent sectors, with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance being a potential focus of regulatory attention, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

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    Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • How Banks Can Manage Risk As AI Adoption Expands

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    Following new, supportive comments from financial regulatory leaders about the use of artificial intelligence in the industry, banks may move toward wider, less-tentative adoption of the technology, but will also need to deploy important risk management measures, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Rebuttal

    Mass Arbitration Reform Must Focus On Justice

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    A recent Law360 guest article argued that mass arbitration reform is needed to alleviate companies’ financial and administrative burdens, but any such reform must deliver real justice, not just cost savings for the powerful, says Eduard Korsinsky at Levi & Korsinsky.

  • What Bank Regulator Consolidation Would Mean For Industry

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    Speculation over the Trump administration’s potential plans to consolidate financial service regulators is intensifying uncertainty, but no matter the outcome for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the industry should expect continued policy changes, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • How Attorneys Can Make The Most Of A Deposition Transcript

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    With recent amendments to federal evidence rules now in effect, it’s more important than ever to make sure that deposition transcripts are clear and precise, and a few key strategies can help attorneys get the most out of a transcript before, during and after a deposition, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • Getting Ahead Of The SEC's Continued Focus On Cyber, AI

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is showing it will continue to scrutinize actions involving cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, but there are proactive measures that companies and financial institutions can take to avoid regulatory scrutiny going forward, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

  • Breaking Down Ill. Bellwether Case For Bank Preemption

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    The banking industry's pending lawsuit against the state of Illinois stands to permanently enjoin state regulation of bank card processing, as well as clarify the outstanding and consequential issue of whether conflict preemption continues to cover third parties in certain circumstances, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • Series

    Teaching College Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving as an adjunct college professor has taught me the importance of building rapport, communicating effectively, and persuading individuals to critically analyze the difference between what they think and what they know — principles that have helped to improve my practice of law, says Sheria Clarke at Nelson Mullins.

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