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Consumer Protection
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May 29, 2024
Robinhood Reaches Deal To End 'Meme Stock' Investor Suit
Robinhood Markets Inc. told a Florida federal judge Tuesday that it has reached a settlement with investors to resolve a suit over the trading platform's suspension of so-called meme stock purchases, saying it anticipates finalizing the deal within the next two weeks.
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May 29, 2024
Fire Chiefs Want FirstNet In Charge Of Revamped 4.9 GHz
Firefighters across the country want the Federal Communications Commission to know that they're in favor of the agency's plan to turn the revamped 4.9-gigahertz public safety band over to a single, nationwide manager.
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May 29, 2024
Pool Co. Can't Avoid, Delay Paying $16M False Ad Verdict
A North Carolina federal judge has cleared the way for an American swimming pool parts supplier to go after a $16 million judgment from its Chinese rival for false advertising and unfair business practices following a weeklong jury trial earlier this year.
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May 29, 2024
Acting Boston US Atty Says Fraud Cases Still High Priority
Prosecuting a range of fraud cases despite finite resources will remain a priority for Massachusetts acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy as he enters his second year in the job, he told reporters on Wednesday in a question and answer session at his office.
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May 29, 2024
BofA Sued Over 'Confusing' Automatic Card Payment Terms
Bank of America has been hit with a proposed class action in New York federal court over its "confusing" automatic credit card payment options that charge monthly interest even when a customer pays the balance in full.
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May 29, 2024
Ex-Calif. Atty Cops To Role In $9.5M Crypto Ponzi Scheme
A disbarred California attorney has pled guilty in federal court to his role in promoting a $9.5 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme.
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May 29, 2024
BakerHostetler, Crowell On Verge Of Settling Client Scam Suit
BakerHostetler and Crowell & Moring LLP appear close to settling a malpractice suit claiming the firms aided and abetted a network of predatory websites, just days after a Florida federal judge authorized discovery into the former client's Slack messages.
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May 29, 2024
The NFL's $6 Billion Question: Is Sunday Ticket A Racket?
After nearly a decade of testy antitrust litigation, the NFL finds itself on the precipice of a trial that could put it on the hook for billions of dollars if a California jury finds that the league and its teams illegally colluded with DirecTV in pricing its Sunday Ticket broadcast package.
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May 29, 2024
5th Circ. Stays Transfer Of Suit Over CFPB's Late Fee Rule
The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday halted the transfer of a banking industry lawsuit against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's $8 credit card late fee rule, again intervening in the case less than a day after a Texas federal judge ordered it sent to Washington, D.C., for a second time.
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May 28, 2024
Amazon Can't Duck FTC's Prime Subscription Suit
Amazon cannot escape the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit alleging the e-commerce giant tricks consumers into enrolling in its Prime service and makes it difficult for members to cancel subscriptions, a Seattle federal judge ruled Tuesday, saying the commission has adequately alleged Amazon's Prime terms were not "clearly and conspicuously disclosed."
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May 28, 2024
Judge Hints Amazon Can't Avoid BIPA Suit For Stored Data
A Washington federal judge pushed back Tuesday against Amazon's claims it cannot be sued for data that merely passed through its servers, noting that Illinois' biometric privacy law doesn't just create liabilities for the original data collector.
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May 28, 2024
AI Co. Can't Escape Meta's Suit Over User Data Scraping
A California federal judge has refused to toss Meta Platforms Inc.'s suit accusing an artificial intelligence company of unlawfully scraping Facebook users' data and selling it to its clients, finding that Meta had identified a valid contract and that the court had jurisdiction over all the social media giant's claims.
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May 28, 2024
Agri Stats Can't Duck Or Transfer DOJ, States' Antitrust Suit
Agri Stats can't transfer or dismiss an antitrust case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and six states that accuses the third-party data compiler of helping meat processors swap sensitive business information, a Minnesota federal judge ruled Tuesday.
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May 28, 2024
Consumers, Advertisers Seek Class Cert. Against Meta
Advertisers and consumers suing Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. over allegations of monopolizing the online social media advertising market and misusing users' data in the process have told the California federal court overseeing their claims that they believe it's time for the proposed classes to be certified.
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May 28, 2024
Google, Meta Can Arbitrate H&R Block User's Tax Data Suit
A California federal judge on Friday ruled that a man who was previously instructed to arbitrate his proposed class action alleging that H&R Block shared private data must also arbitrate claims against Google and Meta Platforms Inc., saying the allegations against the two technology companies are closely connected to those against H&R Block.
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May 28, 2024
Green Group Says EPA Issued Fraudulent PFAS Report
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lied to the public about the prevalence of what have come to be called "forever chemicals" in certain pesticide products available on the market, according to an advocacy group that has accused the agency of "egregious misconduct."
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May 28, 2024
Data Co. Exec Misled GC About Scammer Sales, Feds Tell Jury
A former Epsilon Data Management executive was well aware that a division of the direct marketing and data company was selling information about millions of consumers to fraudsters and worked to keep the firm's general counsel in the dark about the details, federal prosecutors told a Denver jury Tuesday.
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May 28, 2024
Dominican Air Co. Says CEO Deposition Not Needed In Suits
Dominican air charter company Helidosa Aviation Group SA is urging a Florida federal court not to allow jurisdictional discovery in two suits over the deaths of music producer Flow la Movie, his partner and their 4-year-old son in a 2021 plane crash, saying the court already has all the facts it needs to decide on Helidosa's motion to dismiss.
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May 28, 2024
SEC Ordered To Pay $1.8M Over Crypto Case Sanctions
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is on the hook for more than $1.8 million in attorney and receiver fees arising from its allegedly ill-gotten temporary restraining order against crypto project Debt Box, though a Utah federal judge allowed the agency the opportunity to refile the enforcement case despite protests from the defendants.
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May 28, 2024
Hawaii Warns Telecom Co.'s Loan Woes Will Affect Consumers
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is warning customers who live in the home lands and use Sandwich Isles Communications for phone and internet service that they need to switch companies immediately or risk losing service, but Sandwich Isles is blaming the state agency for the issue.
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May 28, 2024
Microsoft, OpenAI Beat Overstuffed Privacy Suit, For Now
A California federal judge threw out, for now, consumers' suit alleging their privacy was violated by Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI LP's products, slamming the complaint as "excessive" and packed with "unnecessary and distracting allegations" to the point it's "nearly impossible" to determine the adequacy of the claims.
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May 28, 2024
Capital One Is The Latest To Face 'Refer A Friend' Text Suit
Capital One Financial Corp. faces a proposed class action in Seattle federal court alleging it violated a Washington state law barring advertising texts in connection with the "refer a friend" texts it prompted existing customers to send to their own personal contacts.
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May 28, 2024
HIV Drug Buyers Fight Bid To Combine 9th Circ. Appeal Briefs
Drug buyers that allege Gilead Sciences Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals delayed generic versions of HIV medications told the Ninth Circuit it would be unfair to grant the companies' call for a single brief addressing the 17 appeals filed after a jury rejected the claims last year.
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May 28, 2024
Texas Judge Sends Suit Over CFPB Late Fee Rule Back To DC
A Texas federal judge Tuesday ordered another cross-country trip for a banking industry lawsuit that challenges the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's $8 credit card late fee rule, sending the case back to Washington, D.C., shortly after regaining control over it.
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May 28, 2024
Chicken Buyers Defend Additional $37M Atty Fee Ask
Direct chicken buyers who have inked more than $284 million in price-fixing settlements defended their counsel's request for more than $37 million in what would be their third payout in the massive case, saying the request is consistent with both precedent and past experience.
Expert Analysis
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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Decoding The FTC's Latest Location Data Crackdown
Following the Federal Trade Commission's groundbreaking settlements in its recent enforcement actions against X-Mode Social and InMarket Media for deceptive and unfair practices with regards to consumer location data, companies should implement policies with three crucial elements for regulatory compliance and maintaining consumer trust, says Hannah Ji-Otto at Baker Donelson.
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Series
Illinois Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
In the first quarter of 2024, Illinois lawmakers proposed a stack of bills aimed at modernizing money transmission, digital assets and banking laws, with a particular focus on improving consumer protections and better defining the state’s authority to regulate digital services, say James Morrissey and Mark Svalina at Vedder Price.
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Series
Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
The first quarter of the year brought the usual onslaught of new regulatory developments in California — including a crackdown on junk fees imposed by small business lenders, a big step forward for online notarizations and a ban on predatory listing agreements, says Alex Grigorians at Hanson Bridgett.
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Tipsters May Be Key To Financial Regulators' ESG Efforts
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are looking to whistleblowers to assist their climate and ESG task forces, suggesting insider information could be central to the agencies' enforcement efforts against corporate greenwashing, false investment claims and climate disclosure violations, says John Crutchlow at Youman & Caputo.
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Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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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.