Consumer Protection

  • September 30, 2025

    Union Pacific Takes Chicago Metra Lines Fight To 8th Circ.

    Union Pacific told the Eighth Circuit that a federal rail regulator acted arbitrarily when it recently granted terminal trackage rights on three of its rail lines to Metra, Chicago's commuter rail system, the latest escalation in a yearslong contractual dispute over access to the crucial rail hub.

  • September 30, 2025

    Waters Warns CFPB Furloughs Would Be 'Baseless,' 'Harmful'

    A senior Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives is warning the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau not to use a looming government shutdown as a "pretext" to furlough employees at the agency, arguing that such an unpaid work stoppage would be unnecessary and dangerous.

  • September 30, 2025

    Jury Says Uber Was Negligent, But Not Liable For Sex Assault

    A California state jury found Tuesday that Uber was negligent with respect to safety measures it took to protect a passenger who says she was sexually assaulted by her driver, but ruled it isn't liable for damages in the high-profile bellwether trial because its negligence wasn't a substantial factor in causing her harm.

  • September 30, 2025

    FCC Pushes Prison Phone Jamming, Despite Dem's Concerns

    The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday advanced a plan to let state and local prisons jam the signals of contraband cellphones, even as a Democratic commissioner voiced worries about the potential for interference with lawful communications.

  • September 30, 2025

    Union Sued Over Data Breach Exposing 55K Members' Info

    A local union group representing Colorado and Wyoming workers faces a proposed class action filed in Colorado federal court Tuesday that claims the union's negligence led to a cyberattack that compromised the personal information of more than 55,000 union members.

  • September 30, 2025

    Senate Bill Would Allow Claims Against AI Cos.

    A pair of senators unveiled a bill Tuesday that would classify artificial intelligence technologies as products under the law to allow consumers to sue if an AI product causes harm, an issue testing the courts as litigation targets AI-fueled chatbots.

  • September 30, 2025

    FCC Aims To Remove Broadband Deployment Barriers

    The Federal Communications Commission took a pair of actions Tuesday aimed at speeding up the deployment of broadband infrastructure by reducing regulatory hurdles.

  • September 30, 2025

    PFAS Testing Concerns End Coca-Cola Class Action

    A New York federal judge has dismissed a proposed class action against Coca-Cola's Simply Orange Juice Co. subsidiary alleging its juices were falsely marketed as all-natural when they actually contain PFAS, saying that the plaintiff didn't show that the juices tested were the same as the ones he bought.

  • September 30, 2025

    3M Rolls Up Buyers' 'Forever Chemicals' Carpet Suit

    A Minnesota federal judge threw out a proposed class action Tuesday alleging 3M Co. and two chemical companies sold stain- and dirt-repellents made with so-called forever chemicals to carpet manufacturers without disclosing the health risks posed by the substances, saying the consumers have not plausibly alleged an injury.

  • September 30, 2025

    FCC Embarks On Four-Year Media Ownership Review

    The Federal Communications Commission pushed ahead Tuesday with a proposal to ease restrictions on how many TV or radio stations a single broadcaster can control in a market.

  • September 30, 2025

    Nationwide Insurers Must Defend Auto Co. In BIPA Dispute

    Two Nationwide units must defend an automotive accessory company accused of violating Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, an Illinois federal court held Tuesday, following a ruling in a separate case that found no coverage for the company under its Hanover Insurance policies.

  • September 30, 2025

    CFPB Looks To Save Renewed Experian Credit Reporting Suit

    Consumer reporting agency Experian Information Solutions Inc. should not be allowed to escape certain Fair Credit Reporting Act allegations taking aim at its handling of consumer disputes, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has argued, asserting the parties made an "inadvertent mutual mistake" in leaving Experian's name off the parties' agreement to toll the CFPB's claims.

  • September 30, 2025

    Ford Says 'Reckoning' At Hand For Lemon Law Firms

    The Ford Motor Co. has urged a Los Angeles federal judge to keep alive a racketeering lawsuit alleging three law firms specializing in California's lemon law engaged in a "death-by-a-thousand-cuts" fraudulent billing scheme to bleed the automaker dry, arguing the firms' immunity claims don't hold up.

  • September 30, 2025

    NJ County Says State Police Allowed Mall To Sell On Sundays

    Bergen County, New Jersey, is arguing that the New Jersey State Police have ignored illegal retail sales on Sundays at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford despite maintaining a headquarters at the site, in a response to a local government's lawsuit over the practice.

  • September 30, 2025

    FTC Accuses Zillow, Redfin Of Stifling Rental Ad Competition

    The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit in Virginia federal court on Tuesday accusing Zillow of paying Redfin more than $100 million to stop competing for the sale of rental housing advertisements on their listing services.

  • September 30, 2025

    Pharma Co. Asks Judge To Toss 'Vague' Investor Class Action

    Counsel for Marinus Pharmaceuticals Inc. told a Pennsylvania federal judge Tuesday that a shareholder class action alleging the company misled investors about the potential success of an epilepsy drug was based solely on "vague and uncorroborated" statements from confidential witnesses.

  • September 30, 2025

    Co-Marketing Isn't A Kickback Scheme, NC Lender Says

    A mortgage lender is urging a North Carolina federal court to toss a homebuyer's suit accusing it and an insurance broker of running a kickback scheme, arguing that the homebuyer is wrongfully alleging that its co-marketing agreement with the brokerage is some sort of kickback scheme.

  • September 30, 2025

    Fla. Lawyer Charged With Battery While Facing Suspension

    A Florida lawyer accused of scamming dozens of clients and facing emergency suspension was arrested Monday night on a domestic violence charge, a development that could hasten bar disciplinary action against him.

  • September 30, 2025

    Calif. Agency Fines Retailer $1.35M Over Data Privacy Lapses

    Rural lifestyle retailer Tractor Supply Co. will pay a record $1.35 million penalty and overhaul its data privacy practices to resolve the California privacy agency's claims that it failed to properly notify consumers and job applicants of their privacy rights, maintain adequate agreements with service providers and provide consumers with an effective way to stop the sharing and sale of their personal information, the regulator announced Tuesday.

  • September 29, 2025

    Visa Defeats Claims It Profited From Child Porn, For Now

    A California federal judge has thrown out allegations Visa knew about and profited from child pornography on Pornhub and other websites it worked with, though he gave the young woman who sued another opportunity to file an amended complaint.

  • September 29, 2025

    Meta Faces Sanctions Bid Alleging Co. Destroyed 'Taps' Data

    Personal injury plaintiffs have urged a California state judge to sanction Meta Platforms Inc. in coordinated litigation over claims social media harms young users' mental health, alleging Meta willfully destroyed crucial time‑stamped "taps" data that captures users' taps, scrolls and swipes on Facebook and Instagram.

  • September 29, 2025

    Newsom Signs AI Law Requiring Guardrails, More Disclosures

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed into law a bill that bolsters safety and disclosure requirements for artificial intelligence companies in the Golden State, a measure the governor said further establishes California as a leader in "safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence."

  • September 29, 2025

    Google VP Says Ad Tech Breakup Has Risks For Publishers

    A Google LLC executive tried to convince a Virginia federal judge Monday that the U.S. Justice Department has the company's advertising placement technology business backward, arguing that instead of helping website publishers, the breakup sought by the government would cost time and money, while artificial intelligence is scrambling prospects too much to warrant greater intervention.

  • September 29, 2025

    SEC, CFTC Eye Collaboration To Cut Redundant Rules, Cases

    Federal commodities and securities regulators said Monday that they're looking for ways to cut down on duplicative regulation and enforcement matters and coordinate their exemptions and rule writing amid increasing innovation in the markets they oversee.

  • September 29, 2025

    Meta Ducks Antitrust Suit As Economist's Opinions Excluded

    A California federal judge on Monday freed Meta from an antitrust lawsuit that accused it of monopolizing an asserted market for personal social networking, saying Facebook users failed to prove the existence of an antitrust injury, with or without help from an expert witness.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Opinion

    Juries Are Key In Protecting The Rule Of Law

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    Absent from the recent discourse about U.S. rule of law is the crucial role of impartial jurors in protecting the equitable administration of justice, and attorneys and judges should take affirmative steps to reverse the yearslong decline of jury trials at this critical moment, says consultant Clint Townson.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • What To Know About Bill Aiming To Curb CIPA

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    A bill pending in the California Assembly would amend the California Invasion of Privacy Act to allow for the use of website tracking technologies for commercial business purposes, limiting class actions seeking damages under the act for industry standard practices, say Katherine Alphonso and Avazeh Pourhamzeh at Kaufman Dolowich.

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