Consumer Protection

  • February 17, 2026

    Unilever's Deal Over Benzene Allegations Hits Speed Bump

    A Connecticut federal judge on Tuesday declined to grant preliminary approval to a proposed $3.6 million class action settlement with Unilever to end claims that certain aerosol dry shampoo propellants contained benzene, saying the settlement class is too broad and that the covered time period goes back too far. 

  • February 17, 2026

    Walgreens Can't Ditch 'Dishwasher Safe' Cutlery Dispute

    An Illinois federal judge largely rejected a bid from Walgreen Co. and other companies to ditch a proposed class consumer suit targeting plastic cutlery that melted in a dishwasher, saying the customer has plausibly alleged that the utensils' front packaging label features a misleading claim that they are "dishwasher safe."

  • February 17, 2026

    Waste Co. Republic Sued Over Alleged Seattle River Pollution

    Waste management company Republic Services was hit with a Clean Water Act lawsuit in Washington federal court Friday by an environmental watchdog group for allegedly releasing polluted water from an industrial site near Seattle's Duwamish River.

  • February 17, 2026

    AI's Needs Outpace Broadband Infrastructure, Report Says

    The "artificial intelligence boom" is going to mean slower internet speeds for consumers if Congress doesn't do something to make commercial spectrum less scarce, according to a new report from a conservative-leaning policy group.

  • February 17, 2026

    CFTC Backs Prediction Markets In 9th Circ. Fight With Nevada

    U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Michael Selig told state gaming regulators Tuesday that he intends to defend his agency's "exclusive jurisdiction" over prediction markets, starting with a brief to the Ninth Circuit backing Crypto.com in an ongoing brawl with Nevada regulators over its sports wagers.

  • February 17, 2026

    Colo. Utility Advocates Dispute Energy Financing Program

    The Colorado Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate, or UCA, claimed in Colorado state court Friday that a recent decision to approve a tariffed on-bill financing program to help customers purchase energy efficiency upgrades violates state law.

  • February 17, 2026

    FCC Investigating Possible Lifeline Fraud In Calif., Beyond

    Lifeline providers in states that were allowed to opt out of the federal verification process might soon find themselves in the hot seat, as the Federal Communications Commission revealed Tuesday it has launched investigations into certain providers from three states.

  • February 17, 2026

    9th Circ. Clears Way For Nev. Gaming Action Against Kalshi

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday denied Kalshi's request to keep its sports event contracts safe from Nevada gaming regulators, clearing the way for the state to bring a civil enforcement action against the online trading platform.

  • February 17, 2026

    FCC's Equal Time Stance Blasted As Colbert Tanks Interview

    Progressives called the Federal Communications Commission's rollout of equal-time policies against late-night talk shows slanted after Stephen Colbert blamed the FCC for being forced to move an interview with a Democratic Senate candidate off the air.

  • February 17, 2026

    Atty Can't Both Lead And Rep Class In Lawsuit, NJ Court Says

    An attorney can't be both the lead plaintiff and class counsel in a class action, a New Jersey appeals court ruled Tuesday, leaning on a more than 40-year-old state supreme court decision in denying class certification in a lawsuit accusing an electric bike maker of selling defective products.

  • February 17, 2026

    Judge Rips Drugmakers' Borderline 'Disingenuous' Appeal Bid

    A Connecticut federal judge has rejected generic-drug makers' request for a quick appeal of his ruling denying them summary judgment on states' claims they engaged in an "overarching conspiracy" to fix prices, slamming the request for being borderline "disingenuous," mischaracterizing his reasoning and ignoring direct evidence of alleged wrongdoing.

  • February 17, 2026

    CFTC Lands $1.3M Settlement In Immigrant Fraud Case

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has reached a $1.3 million settlement with the operator of an unlicensed commodity pool who allegedly targeted dozens of Spanish-speaking immigrants in a $1.5 million Ponzi-like scheme that used a fictitious license containing a counterfeit CFTC seal and a forged commissioner's signature to falsely promise investors guaranteed monthly returns.

  • February 17, 2026

    Globe Life Reaches $4.66M Deal Over Client Data Breach

    Globe Life Inc. and a subsidiary have agreed to pay up to $4.66 million to resolve a proposed class action alleging the life insurance companies failed to protect the private information of policyholders and applicants from an October 2024 data breach, according to a filing in Texas federal court.

  • February 17, 2026

    FCC Threatens To Nix Mich. Radio Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

    The Federal Communications Commission said it will yank the licenses for seven Michigan radio stations if the company that holds the licenses fails to pay the regulatory fees it has been delinquent on for several years.

  • February 17, 2026

    Union Says Express Scripts Diverted Billions In Kickback Fees

    A Chicago plumbers union healthcare fund told an Illinois federal court Tuesday that the nation's largest pharmacy benefit manager, Express Scripts, violated federal criminal law when it used a Switzerland-based company to hide kickbacks it generated by charging drug companies fees for key placement on prescription plan drug lists.  

  • February 17, 2026

    Pepsi And Walmart Inflated Soda Prices, ND Businesses Say

    Pepsi and Walmart devised a plan to inflate prices for Pepsi soft drinks above competitive levels, two North Dakota businesses said in a proposed class action in New York federal court that alleges the companies violated federal antitrust laws.

  • February 17, 2026

    Aviation, Wireless Biz Work On 'Consensus' For C-Band

    Federal aviation experts are working closely with the wireless industry to develop a "consensus framework" for next-generation aircraft safety gear to avoid congestion of 5G and flight signals in the C-band, a carriers' group says.

  • February 17, 2026

    Boeing, Ex-CEO Escape Fund's 737 Max Fraud Suit

    An Illinois federal judge on Tuesday tossed a securities fraud suit accusing Boeing of misrepresenting the safety of its 737 Max 8 jets after two deadly crashes overseas, saying a Massachusetts-based investment fund cannot pursue claims purportedly assigned to it by a defunct assignor.

  • February 17, 2026

    Kalshi Wins Stay Of Mass. Injunction Amid Appeal

    Massachusetts' intermediate-level appeals court on Tuesday granted prediction market Kalshi a reprieve from having to comply with an order blocking it from offering sports-related event contracts in the state, pending the outcome of an expedited appeal.

  • February 17, 2026

    Kids Cup Brand Says Testing Co. Missed High Lead Levels

    A Massachusetts testing firm failed to identify higher-than-allowed lead levels in a line of stainless steel tumblers marketed for children, leading to a recall of about 400,000 cups, the brand's owner alleged in a state court complaint docketed Tuesday.

  • February 17, 2026

    J&J Fights Beasley Allen's Bid To Pause Talc DQ Ruling

    A New Jersey state court lacks standing to block an appellate panel's removal of Beasley Allen from representing hundreds of women with ovarian cancer pursuing claims against Johnson & Johnson over talcum powder, the pharmaceutical company has argued in an opposition brief.

  • February 17, 2026

    Sick Juror Delays Meta Trial Ahead Of Zuckerberg Testimony

    The first bellwether trial over thousands of claims that social media companies harm young people's mental health was delayed Tuesday due to a juror being hospitalized with an illness, although the California state judge in the case said the trial will resume one way or another on Wednesday, when Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to testify. 

  • February 17, 2026

    Sens. Concerned About Live Nation Case After DOJ 'Ousting'

    A group of Senate Democrats is raising concerns about potential political influence at the U.S. Department of Justice, following the abrupt departure of the agency's top antitrust enforcer weeks before Live Nation is set to face trial in the government's monopolization case.

  • February 13, 2026

    Stanford Prof Tells Jury Studies Confirm Social Media Addiction

    A Stanford University professor of psychiatry and addiction returned to the witness stand Friday in a California bellwether trial over claims that social media companies harm young people's mental health, saying studies have concluded that addiction to platforms such as YouTube and Instagram is real and can hurt mental health.

  • February 13, 2026

    Novel Calif. Data Deletion Tool Off To Hot Start, Director Says

    Despite a relatively quiet rollout, more than 170,000 California residents have signed up for a first-of-its-kind system that allows them to ask all registered data brokers to delete their personal information in a single request, positioning the tool as a strong model for other states similarly looking to boost consumer protections, the executive director of the state's privacy regulator told Law360.  

Expert Analysis

  • Tracking The Evolution Of AI Insurance Regulation In 2025

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    As artificial intelligence continues to transform the insurance industry, including underwriting, pricing, claims processing and customer engagement, state regulators, led by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, are increasing oversight to ensure that innovation does not outpace consumer protections, say attorneys at Fenwick.

  • Series

    Knitting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Stretching my skills as a knitter makes me a better antitrust attorney by challenging me to recalibrate after wrong turns, not rush outcomes, and trust that I can teach myself the skills to tackle new and difficult projects — even when I don’t have a pattern to work from, says Kara Kuritz at V&E.

  • How 11th Circ.'s Qui Tam Review Could Affect FCA Litigation

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    On Dec. 12, the Eleventh Circuit will hear arguments in U.S. ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, setting the stage for a decision that could drastically reduce enforcement under the False Claims Act, and presenting an opportunity to seek U.S. Supreme Court review of the act's whistleblower provisions, say attorneys at Epstein Becker.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Welcome To Miami

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    After nearly 20 years in operation, the Miami Complex Business Litigation Division is a pioneer upon which other jurisdictions in the state have been modeled, adopting many innovations to keep its cases running more efficiently and staffing experienced judges who are accustomed to hearing business disputes, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • 6 Ways To Nuke-Proof Litigation As Explosive Verdicts Rise

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    As the increasing number of nuclear verdicts continues to reshape the litigation landscape, counsel must understand how to create a multipronged defense strategy to anticipate juror expectations and mitigate the risk of outsize jury awards, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • How AI Exec Order May Tee Up Legal Fights With States

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    The Trump administration's draft executive order would allow it to challenge and withhold federal dollars from states with artificial intelligence laws, but until Congress passes comprehensive AI legislation, states may have to defend their regulatory frameworks in extended litigation, says Charles Mills, a clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.

  • Recent Proposals May Spell Supervision Overhaul For Banks

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    A slew of rules recently proposed by the federal banking agencies with approaching comment deadlines would rewrite supervision standards to be further tailored to banks' size and activities, while prioritizing financial risks over process, documentation and other nonfinancial risks, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • How MAHA Is Taking Shape At The State Level

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    The national spotlight on the federal government's Make America Healthy Again movement is bolstering state-level actions regarding potential health impacts of certain food ingredients, increasing the difficulty and importance of maintaining effective compliance programs, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • AI Evidence Rule Tweaks Encourage Judicial Guardrails

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    Recent additions to a committee note on proposed Rule of Evidence 707 — governing evidence generated by artificial intelligence — seek to mitigate potential dangers that may arise once machine outputs are introduced at trial, encouraging judges to perform critical gatekeeping functions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Where Things Stand At The CFPB As Funding Dries Up

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is on pace to run out of funding in the new year, threatening current and future rulemaking efforts, but a rapid series of recent actions still carries significant implications for regulated entities and warrants careful monitoring in the remaining weeks of the year, say attorneys at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Getting The Message Across

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    Communications and brand strategy during a law firm merger represent a crucial thread that runs through every stage of a combination and should include clear messaging, leverage modern marketing tools and embrace the chance to evolve, says Ashley Horne at Womble Bond.

  • How Bank-Fintech Partnerships Changed In 2025

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    The 2025 transition to the Trump administration, augmented by the reversal of Chevron deference in 2024, has resulted in unprecedented shifts, and bank-fintech partnerships are no exception, with key changes affecting a number of areas including charters, regulatory oversight and anti-money laundering, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Steps For Cos. To Comply With Colo. Deceptive Pricing Law

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    Colorado's newly passed law protecting against deceptive pricing practices will take effect on Jan. 1, broadening the consumer protection framework and standardizing total price disclosure requirements across a variety of industries, and there are several steps businesses can take to comply, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Opinion

    Horizontal Stare Decisis Should Not Be Casually Discarded

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    Eliminating the so-called law of the circuit doctrine — as recently proposed by a Fifth Circuit judge, echoing Justice Neil Gorsuch’s concurrence in Loper Bright — would undermine public confidence in the judiciary’s independence and create costly uncertainty for litigants, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.

  • 10 Commandments For Agentic AI Tools In The Legal Industry

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    Though agentic artificial intelligence has demonstrated significant promise for optimizing legal work, it presents numerous risks, so specific ethical obligations should be built into the knowledge base of every agentic AI tool used in the legal industry, says Steven Cordero at Akerman LLP.

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