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Consumer Protection
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May 24, 2024
Alabama Judge Says Attys Subverted Plumbing Defect Deal
In an effort to safeguard the due process rights of hundreds of homeowners, an Alabama federal judge has tossed out more than 300 settlement class "opt-outs" and partially reopened the objection period in a product liability suit, determining that outside attorneys repeatedly misled clients regarding the pending settlement, leading to the numerous exclusion requests.
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May 24, 2024
CFPB Will Ask DC Circ. To Rescue Rule Challenged By PayPal
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Friday it will appeal a Washington, D.C., federal judge's recent decision that sided with payments giant PayPal in its lawsuit challenging the agency's extension of certain prepaid card regulations to digital wallets.
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May 24, 2024
CFPB Seeks $20M Penalty For Inaccurate Loan Data
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has urged a Florida federal court to hit Freedom Mortgage with a $20 million civil penalty for allegedly submitting error-filled government mortgage loan data.
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May 24, 2024
Insurer Owes Coverage For School Defect Claim, Builder Says
A general contractor told a Washington federal court it is entitled to coverage under a subcontractor's commercial general liability policy with a Liberty Mutual unit for defects and damage that a school district alleges was caused by the subcontractor while working on a school expansion project.
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May 24, 2024
DOJ's Live Nation-Ticketmaster Suit: What You Should Know
The U.S. Department of Justice and a slew of state attorneys general filed a suit challenging the 2010 merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. Here, catch up on Law360's coverage of the deal and those who have challenged it along the way – Taylor Swift fans, investors and regulators.
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May 23, 2024
CFPB's 1st Try At BNPL Regulation Could Set Stage For More
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new guidance that treats buy-now, pay-later firms more like credit card companies is drawing industry grumbles about "apples to oranges" comparisons, but consumer advocates say that applying additional credit card-esque rules would be the cherry on top.
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May 23, 2024
FTC Blasts Amazon's 'Unbelievable' Claims About Signal Use
The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday again pressed a Washington federal court to force Amazon to hand over documents regarding the company's communication preservation practices, calling Amazon's claims that executives never used the encrypted app Signal to discuss business practices relevant to the antitrust fight "unbelievable."
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May 23, 2024
Bungie Cheat Code Sellers Dinged At Trial For Deleting Docs
A Seattle federal judge overseeing a trial of Bungie's copyright claims against a group of cheat code sellers instructed jurors Thursday that the defendants intentionally destroyed evidence by deleting records they had a duty to preserve once they were aware of the game studio's claims.
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May 23, 2024
Latham, Cravath Rep Live Nation In DOJ Ticketmaster Battle
In the battle against the U.S. Department of Justice's push to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the concert promotion and ticketing company has called upon a team of attorneys at Cravath Swaine & Moore and Latham & Watkins to go up against a large roster of highly experienced government antitrust attorneys.
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May 23, 2024
TikTok, YouTube Must Produce European Privacy Data In MDL
A California federal magistrate judge overseeing discovery in multidistrict litigation over whether social media platforms' design is addictive ordered TikTok and YouTube on Thursday to give American personal injury plaintiffs certain technical documents regarding the companies' safety features implemented in Europe and Australia, which have tougher consumer privacy laws.
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May 23, 2024
Ex-Bank CEO Cops To Embezzling $47M To Pay Crypto Scam
Heartland Tri-State Bank's former chief executive pled guilty Thursday in Kansas federal court to embezzling $47 million that he wired to cryptocurrency accounts controlled by fraudsters after falling victim to a "pig butchering" scam, which led to the bank's collapse and subsequent shutdown last summer.
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May 23, 2024
FCC Defends Nielsen Data In Low-Power TV Licensing Suit
The Federal Communications Commission is defending its use of Nielsen statistics to determine if a low-power TV station should receive protections provided under a 2022 law aimed at safeguarding local and rural broadcasting.
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May 23, 2024
House Panel Moves Data Privacy Bill, While Vowing Revisions
A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Thursday advanced a bipartisan proposal to create a nationwide framework for how companies use and share consumers' personal information, despite lawmakers on both sides of the aisle acknowledging that more work needs to be done to further refine the measure.
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May 23, 2024
SEC Opens Gate To Ether ETFs, But Firms Await Green Light
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission started the process of bringing exchange-traded funds holding the cryptocurrency ether to market on Thursday when it approved a series of filings permitting national securities exchanges to list the products, leaving firms to wait for the next step before trading can begin.
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May 23, 2024
NC Top Court Finds Credit Union's Arbitration Add-On Is Valid
The North Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday said a credit union can enforce an arbitration clause tacked on to a customer's contract at a later date, confirming a ruling by a lower appellate panel and requiring the customer suing the nonprofit over allegedly illegal overdraft fees to arbitrate her claims.
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May 23, 2024
AdTech Co. Faces Suit As Google's Cookie Support Crumbles
Advertising company Direct Digital Holdings Inc. faces a proposed investor class action alleging it mismanaged its response to an impending major technological change affecting how digital advertisers can target consumers.
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May 23, 2024
DOJ Has A Long Set To Play Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster
The U.S. Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit announced Thursday against Live Nation and Ticketmaster's dominance over performing artists, venues and tickets may have been 14 years in the making, but it still has a long road ahead in New York federal court.
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May 23, 2024
'I Just Don't Buy It': Judge Rips Google's Injunction Argument
A California federal judge considering the scope of a potential injunction against Google following Epic Games' antitrust jury trial win told Google's economist Thursday that the tech giant keeps arguing that more app store options for consumers will create a "terrifying world of chaos and anarchy," but "I just don't buy it."
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May 23, 2024
House Members Approve Closing Delta-8 Hemp 'Loophole'
A U.S. House of Representatives committee on Thursday approved a major change to the statutory definition of hemp and hemp products — which would effectively rewrite national hemp policy if it became law — in the next version of the federal Farm Bill.
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May 23, 2024
Kratom Cos. Failed To Warn Man About Risks, Colo. Suit Says
The parents of a deceased Colorado man allege that four companies that sell kratom are liable for their son's death because of their failure to warn consumers about the risks associated with using the loosely regulated plant-derived substance with opioid-like effects.
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May 23, 2024
House Panel Pushes AM Radio Bill Forward
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle came together to bump a popular proposal to prevent automakers from removing AM radios from their vehicles through to the full committee, with the bill sailing through markup Thursday morning.
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May 23, 2024
FCC Aims To Reduce Risk From China-Controlled Test Labs
The Federal Communications Commission pushed Thursday for new rules to prevent foreign adversaries, mainly the Chinese Communist Party, from playing a role in testing and certifying communications equipment in the U.S. market.
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May 23, 2024
Irma Power Outage Claims Must Be Brought To Fla. Regulator
A Florida state appellate court reversed the class certification in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit brought against Florida Power & Light Co. over extended electricity outages during Hurricane Irma, citing a new law requiring ratepayers to bring their claims before the state's Public Service Commission.
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May 23, 2024
Feds Nab Pair In $2M Sports, Pokémon Trading Card Scam
Two Washington state men were charged Thursday in New York federal court with running a $2 million scheme to defraud buyers of sports and Pokémon trading cards by claiming low- or mid-grade cards were authentic and highly rated.
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May 23, 2024
AT&T Stands To Gain Billions From 4.9 GHz, Report Says
A group representing Verizon and T-Mobile is renewing its effort to stop AT&T-affiliate FirstNet from gaining further control of the 4.9 gigahertz public safety band, this time arguing that AT&T stands to gain over $3 billion worth of spectrum if the Federal Communications Commission extends FirstNet's authority.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
The SEC Is Engaging In Regulation By Destruction
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent use of regulation by enforcement against digital assets indicates it's more interested in causing harm to crypto companies than providing guidance to the markets or protecting investors, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University.
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Series
NJ Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
Early 2024 developments in New Jersey financial regulations include new bills that propose regulating some cryptocurrency as securities and protecting banks that serve the cannabis industry, as well as the signing of a data privacy law that could change banks’ responsibility to vet vendors and borrowers, say attorneys at Chiesa Shahinian.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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ShapeShift Fine Epitomizes SEC's Crypto Policy, And Its Flaws
A recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission order imposing a fine on former cryptocurrency exchange ShapeShift for failing to register as a securities dealer showcases the SEC's regulation-by-enforcement approach, but the dissent by two commissioners raises valid concerns that the agency's embrace of ambiguity over clarity risks hampering the growth of the crypto economy, says Keith Blackman at Bracewell.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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Antitrust Ruling Shows Limits Of US Law's Global Reach
Antitrust plaintiffs often cite the legislative history of the Foreign Trade Antitrust Improvements Act to support application of U.S. antitrust law to alleged injuries abroad, but as a California federal court recognized recently in Figaro v. Apple, the cited history does no such thing, say Daniel Swanson and Eli Lazarus at Gibson Dunn.
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Overdraft Opt-In Practices Hold Risks For Banks
A recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau action against Atlantic Union Bank regarding overdraft opt-in sales practices highlights compliance risks that financial institutions must be aware of, especially when enrolling customers by phone, says Kristen Larson at Ballard Spahr.
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Opinion
Intoxicating Hemp Products: It's High Time For Clarity
Thanks to ambiguity in the 2018 Farm Bill, intoxicating hemp cannabinoid products are largely unregulated and are widely available without restrictions on who can buy the products, and although there are several possible solutions, voluntary industry action by good actors is the best option, say Andrew Kline and Tommy Tobin at Perkins Coie.
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Calif. High Court Ruling Has Lessons For Waiving Jury Trials
The California Supreme Court’s recent decision in TriCoast Builders v. Fonnegra, denying relief to a contractor that had waived its right to a jury trial, shows that litigants should always post jury fees as soon as possible, and seek writ review if the court denies relief from a waiver, say Steven Fleischman and Nicolas Sonnenburg at Horvitz & Levy.
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HHS' Updated Tracking Tech Guidance Offers Little Clarity
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights' updated guidance on the use of online tracking technologies appears more focused on legal issues raised in ongoing litigation with the American Hospital Association and less on practical guidance for covered entities, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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Take AG James' Suit Over Enviro Claims As A Warning
New York Attorney General Letitia James' recent suit against JBS USA Food Co. over allegedly misleading claims about its goal to reach net zero by 2040 indicates that challenges to green claims are likely to continue, and that companies should think twice about ignoring National Advertising Division recommendations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.
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And Now A Word From The Panel: Benefits Of MDL Transfers
A recent order from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation highlights a critical part of the panel's work — moving cases into an existing MDL — and serves as a reminder that common arguments against such transfers don't outweigh the benefits of coordinating discovery and utilizing lead counsel, says Alan Rothman at Sidley Austin.
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How Experian, Apple Aid CFPB's 'Buy Now, Pay Later' Goals
Experian’s recent voluntary addition of Apple's “buy now, pay later” loans to consumer credit reports makes now a useful occasion to reflect on past Consumer Financial Protection Bureau calls for wider transparency around these products, and to analyze how its stated priorities for regulating them may shape coming bureau guidance and rules, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.
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Ready Or Not, Big Tech Should Expect CFPB Surveillance
In light of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed plan to supervise large companies providing the vast majority of digital money transfers, not only will Big Tech have to prepare for regulation previously reserved for traditional banks, but the CFPB will also likely face some difficult decisions and obstacles, says Meredith Osborn at Arnold & Porter.
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Series
Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.