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

  • 5 Evolving Marketing Risks That Finance Cos. Should Watch

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    Financial services providers should beware several areas where consumer protection regulators are broadening their scrutiny of modern marketing practices, such as the use of influencer testimonials or advertisements touting artificial intelligence-powered products, so they can better adapt to changing expectations for compliance, say attorneys at Hinshaw.

  • CFTC, SEC Joint Statement Highlights New Unity On Crypto

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent joint statement announcing a cross-agency initiative enabling certain spot crypto-asset products to trade on regulated exchanges is the earliest and most visible instance of interagency cooperation on crypto regulation, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Understanding And Managing Jurors' Hindsight Bias

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    Hindsight bias — wherein events seem more predictable after the fact than they were beforehand — presents a persistent cognitive distortion in jury decision-making, but attorneys can mitigate its effects at trial through awareness, repetition and framing, say consultants at Courtroom Sciences.

  • Hybrid Claims In Antitrust Disputes Spark Coverage Battles

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    Antitrust litigation increasingly includes claims for breach of warranty, product liability or state consumer protection violations, complicating insurers' reliance on exclusions as courts analyze whether these are antitrust claims in disguise, says Jameson Pasek at Caldwell Law.

  • EU-US Data Transfer Ruling Offers Reassurance To Cos.

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    The European Union General Court’s recent upholding of the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework in Latombe v. European Commission, although subject to appeal, provides companies with legal certainty for the first time by allowing the transfer of European Economic Area personal data without relying on alternative mechanisms, say lawyers at Wilson Sonsini.

  • Drug Ad Crackdown Demonstrates Admin's Aggressive Stance

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    Recent actions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services targeting pharmaceutical companies' allegedly deceptive advertising practices signal an active — potentially even punitive — intent to regulate direct-to-consumer advertising out of existence, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Protecting Sensitive Court Filings After Recent Cyber Breach

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    In the wake of a recent cyberattack on federal courts' Case Management/Electronic Case Files system, civil litigants should consider seeking enhanced protections for sensitive materials filed under seal to mitigate the risk of unauthorized exposure, say attorneys at Redgrave.

  • DOJ Settlement Offers Guide To Avoiding Key Antitrust Risks

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    The U.S. Justice Department's settlement with Greystar Management shows why parties looking to acquire companies that use pricing recommendation software should carefully examine whether the software algorithm and how it is used in the market create antitrust dangers, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Contractor Considerations As Construction Costs Rebound

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    The U.S. construction industry is navigating rising costs driven by energy and trade policy, which should prompt contractors to review contract structuring, supply chain management and market diversification, among other factors, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    NC Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    There were several impactful changes to the financial services landscape in North Carolina in the third quarter of the year, including statutory updates, enforcement developments from Office of the Commissioner of Banks, and notable mergers, acquisitions and branch expansions, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Despite Fraud Focus, SEC Still Targeting Technical Violations

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under Chairman Paul Atkins has emphasized its back-to-basics strategy, focusing on identifying and combating fraud and manipulation, but at the same time, it has continued to pursue nonfraud-based actions targeting technical rule violations, a trend that will likely continue, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • New Calif. Chatbot Bill May Make AI Assistants Into Liabilities

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    While a pending California bill aims to regulate emotionally engaging chatbots that target children, its definition of "companion chatbot" may cover more ground — potentially capturing virtual assistants used for customer service or tech support, and creating serious legal exposure for businesses, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    Of note in the third quarter of the year, New York state regulators moved forward on their agendas to limit abuse of electronic banking, including via a settlement with stablecoin issuer Paxos and a lawsuit against Zelle alleging insufficient security measures, says Chris Bonner at Barclay Damon.

  • Series

    Judging Figure Skating Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Judging figure skating competitions helps me hone the focus, decisiveness and ability to process complex real-time information I need in court, but more importantly, it makes me reengage with a community and my identity outside of law, which, paradoxically, always brings me back to work feeling restored, says Megan Raymond at Groombridge Wu.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    The third quarter of 2025 brought legislative changes to state money transmission certification requirements and securities law obligations, as well as high-profile accounting and anti-money laundering compliance enforcement actions by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

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