Consumer Protection

  • July 10, 2025

    Tegna To Pay $222K To Resolve FCC Probe Into Obscene Video

    Broadcast giant Tegna has agreed to pay more than $222,000 to put an end to an inquiry that began almost four years ago when an unknown party played a 13-second pornographic video clip during an evening weather report on a Spokane, Washington, news station.

  • July 10, 2025

    WilmerHale, US Trustee Spar Over Work In 23andMe Ch. 11

    The U.S. Trustee's Office argued Thursday the consumer privacy ombudsman in genetic testing company 23andMe's Chapter 11 shouldn't be allowed to hire lawyers from WilmerHale over conflict of interest concerns the firm disputed, an issue the presiding Missouri bankruptcy judge promised to rule on promptly.

  • July 10, 2025

    States Fine Payment Co. Wise $4.2M Over Compliance Lapses

    Wise has agreed to pay $4.2 million and take various remediating actions to end six states' claims that the global money transfer fintech had inadequate anti-money laundering programs.

  • July 10, 2025

    Unions Defend Block On DOGE's Social Security Data Access

    The full Fourth Circuit should affirm a Maryland federal judge's decision to block the White House's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Social Security Administration data, two unions and a retirees' advocacy group argued, saying that dissolving the injunction would violate their members' right to privacy.

  • July 10, 2025

    Calif. Vape Co. Drops Claims Over Allegedly Counterfeit G Pen

    California-based GS Holistic LLC has reached a deal with a Michigan smoke shop that will end claims the retailer was selling counterfeit versions of its G Pen e-cigarettes without authorization at a fraction of the price, according to a notice issued by a federal judge.

  • July 10, 2025

    Student Loan Lender Settles AI Bias, Fair Lending Claims

    Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell on Thursday said her office has reached a $2.5 million deal with a Delaware-based student loan company to settle allegations that it utilized artificial intelligence models that could disproportionately harm Black and Hispanic applicants.

  • July 10, 2025

    Tyson Says $55M Del. Poultry Plants Win Blocks Ga. Damages

    Tyson Foods wants to block any claim to damages in a poultry rendering company's antitrust lawsuit, telling a Georgia federal judge Wednesday that a Delaware state court already ruled that it overpaid to buy out the company and asserting that precludes any claims that it forced the firm into an underpriced buyout.

  • July 10, 2025

    House Dem Says FCC Must Follow Law On DEI Probes

    A House Democrat who helps oversee the Federal Communications Commission says agency chief Brendan Carr must avoid any hint of targeting companies' diversity initiatives for political reasons rather than legal rationale against discrimination.

  • July 10, 2025

    Mass. Man Agrees To $10K Fine For Pirate Radio Stations

    The Federal Communications Commission slapped a $10,000 fine on a Massachusetts man in a consent decree for operating pirate radio stations from three locations, though it was a reduction from the nearly $598,000 fine the FCC initially proposed.

  • July 10, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Geico Win In COVID Auto Rebate Class Action

    The Ninth Circuit affirmed Geico's victory in a certified class action alleging it owed additional refunds to drivers who overpaid their auto insurance premiums during COVID-19 stay-home orders, ruling on Wednesday that Geico charged rates that were previously approved by California's insurance commissioner, which bars the plaintiff's state Unfair Competition Law claim.

  • July 10, 2025

    Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Sink EPA Pesticide Seed Exemption

    Green groups on Wednesday asked the Ninth Circuit to revive their lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is violating federal law by failing to regulate pesticide-coated crop seeds.

  • July 10, 2025

    $4.4B T-Mobile, UScellular Deal Gets DOJ OK, With A Warning

    The U.S. Department of Justice gave its all-clear Thursday to T-Mobile's plan to take over most of UScellular's wireless operations, finding that T-Mobile's commitments to bolster the flagging company outweigh, at least for now, worries over the disappearance of UScellular's underdog offerings.

  • July 10, 2025

    Texas Cop's Estate Can't Redo Trial Over Accidental Evidence

    A Texas federal judge turned down a new trial bid from the estate of a Texas police officer who alleged he suffered carbon monoxide poisoning because of a defect in his Ford-made patrol vehicle, saying the inadvertent admission of a chart into evidence toward the close of trial is not enough to show prejudice.

  • July 10, 2025

    Broadcast Groups Want Status Quo On AM Band Licenses

    AM broadcasters urged the Federal Communications Commission to allow them to continue dual operations in both the expanded and standard AM bands, telling the commission in a new filing that it should go ahead and shut down two AM-related dockets if it means that the status quo is maintained.

  • July 10, 2025

    Navigation Co. Says Study 'Validates' GPS Backup Plan

    Geolocation company NextNav Inc. told the Federal Communications Commission in a letter Wednesday that detractors of its proposal to use the lower 900 MHz spectrum to deploy an Earth-based backstop for the Global Positioning System have raised unfounded concerns and mischaracterized an engineering study supporting its proposal.

  • July 10, 2025

    Texas Judge Partially Voids DOL's ERISA Rollover Rule

    A Texas federal judge partially invalidated an investment advice regulation from President Donald Trump's first administration involving employee retirement savings and rollover transactions, ruling the U.S. Department of Labor exceeded its authority when it handed down a new interpretation of federal benefits law.

  • July 10, 2025

    Bettors Fight To Keep Suit Over DraftKings Promos Afloat

    DraftKings customers alleging the online betting giant's advertisements fuel gambling addiction are pushing to keep their proposed class action against the company alive, throwing water on its effort to escape the lawsuit by leaning on its extensive disclaimers and fine print.

  • July 09, 2025

    Uber Gets Some Driver Sex Assault Bellwether Claims Tossed

    The California federal judge overseeing multidistrict litigation accusing Uber Technologies Inc. of failing to prevent drivers from sexually assaulting passengers has partially granted the ride-share company's bid to dismiss 20 bellwether cases.

  • July 09, 2025

    OpenAI Must Give Musk Info On Altman Firing In Fraud Suit

    A California federal magistrate judge overseeing discovery in Elon Musk's lawsuit challenging OpenAI's now-abandoned transition to a for-profit enterprise ordered the artificial intelligence company to hand over documents related to CEO Sam Altman's brief firing by OpenAI's board, agreeing the information is "relevant" to Musk's charitable trust and fraud claims.

  • July 09, 2025

    Google Notches Deal With Flo Users Ahead Of Privacy Trial

    Google and users of the menstrual cycle tracking app Flo have reached a deal to resolve claims that the tech giant used a data analytics tool to unlawfully retrieve their sensitive health data, releasing the company from a July 21 trial that's still scheduled to proceed with respect to similar privacy claims being pressed against the app maker and Meta.

  • July 09, 2025

    Senate Confirms Airline Executive To Lead FAA

    The U.S. Senate Wednesday largely voted along party lines to confirm President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration.

  • July 09, 2025

    Amazon Customer Grilled On Whole Foods Ad Suit At 9th Circ.

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared critical on Wednesday of a consumer's claim that Amazon duped Prime members by pulling its free Whole Foods grocery delivery perk, as the judges pointed to subscriber terms allowing the e-commerce giant to change the benefits package.

  • July 09, 2025

    Senators Weigh Principles To Guide Crypto Market Rules

    Senate Democrats and a former chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission homed in on the importance of preserving the strength of existing securities laws during a Wednesday hearing where senators and industry experts previewed their priorities for the chamber’s coming crypto market structure proposal.

  • July 09, 2025

    2nd Circ. Backs Convictions For $150M 'Psychic' Fraud

    The Second Circuit upheld Wednesday a Canadian man's 10-year prison sentence and fraud convictions stemming from a decades-long $150 million direct mailing psychic scheme that defrauded elderly victims, ruling there was sufficient evidence he intended to harm his customers who received something different from what was advertised. 

  • July 09, 2025

    Linqto Users Say Founder Flouted Securities Laws

    Customers of recently bankrupt private investment platform Linqto sued its founder and former CEO in New York federal court on Wednesday, alleging in a proposed class action that he disregarded securities laws and oversaw aggressive and misleading marketing to lure investors.

Expert Analysis

  • Canadian Suit Offers Disclosure Lesson For US Cannabis Cos.

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    A Canadian class action asserting that Aurora Cannabis failed to warn consumers about the risk of developing cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome may spawn copycat filings in the U.S., and is a cautionary tale for cannabis and hemp industries to prioritize risk disclosure, says Ian Stewart at Wilson Elser.

  • A Look At Trump Admin's Shifting Strategies To Curtail CFPB

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    The Trump administration has so far carried out its goal of minimizing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's authority and footprint via an individualized approach comprising rule rollbacks, litigation moves and administrative tools, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Evading DOJ Crosshairs As Data Security Open Season Starts

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    As the U.S. Department of Justice begins enforcing its new data security program — aimed at preventing foreign adversaries from accessing government-related and personal sensitive data — U.S. companies will need to understand the program’s contours and potential pitfalls to avoid potential civil liability or criminal scrutiny, say attorneys at Cohen & Gresser.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • A Look At DOJ's Dropped Case Against Early Crypto Operator

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    The prosecution of an early crypto exchange operator over alleged unlicensed money transmission was recently dropped in Indiana federal court, showcasing that the U.S. Justice Department may be limiting the types of enforcement cases it will bring against digital asset firms, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • 4 Consumer Class Action Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    The first half of 2025 has seen a surge of consumer class action trends related to online tools, websites and marketing messages, creating a new legal risk landscape for companies of all sizes, says Scott Shaffer at Olshan Frome.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • 3 Cautionary Tales For Cos. Using Facial Recognition Tech

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    Whether a business intends to develop its own facial recognition applications or contract with another company to use such services, three recent case studies should be kept in mind to help lower the risk of litigation or regulatory enforcement, says Adam Nyenhuis at Hilgers Graben.

  • Rising Enforcement Stakes For Pharma Telehealth Platforms

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    Two pieces of legislation recently introduced in Congress could transform the structure and promotion of telehealth arrangements as legislators increasingly scrutinize direct-to-consumer advertising platforms, potentially paving the way for a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy with bipartisan support, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Rocket Mortgage Appeal May Push Justices To Curb Classes

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    Should the U.S. Supreme Court agree to hear Alig v. Rocket Mortgage, the resulting decision could limit class sizes based on commonality under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Evidence as opposed to standing under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, say attorneys at Carr Maloney.

  • 3 Judicial Approaches To Applying Loper Bright, 1 Year Later

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    In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference in its Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision, a few patterns have emerged in lower courts’ application of the precedent to determine whether agency actions are lawful, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • How State AG Consumer Finance Enforcement Is Expanding

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    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau becomes less active, state attorneys general are increasingly shaping the enforcement landscape for consumer financial services — and several areas of focus have recently emerged, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Businesses Need To Know To Avoid VPPA Class Actions

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    Divergent rulings by the Second, Sixth and Seventh Circuits about the scope of the Video Privacy Protection Act have highlighted the difficulty of applying a statute conceived to regulate the now-obsolete brick-and-mortar video store sector in today's internet economy, say attorneys at DTO Law.

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